Neighbourhood team tackles 'highest risk' crimes

The Neighbourhood Support Team can be contacted by phone on 101 and via the force's social media channels.

Devon and Cornwall Police has launched a new team to tackle anti-social behaviour, drugs, and spikes in crime in south Devon.

Ch Insp Miranda Pusey, who leads the neighbourhood police teams across the area, said a sergeant and five neighbourhood beat managers would "work together to tackle the problems that are the highest risk in our communities".

The Neighbourhood Support Team (NST) can be contacted by phone on 101 and via the force's social media channels.

The south Devon launch follows the creation of three other NSTs - one in Exeter, one in Plymouth, and another in Cornwall.

'Embedded in community'

"Ask the operators to make sure that message gets sent down to the local neighbourhood teams, and the Neighbourhood Support Team are part of those neighbourhood teams," said Ch Insp Pusey.

"We will always respond to people in appropriate timescale if they do contact us.

"They come as neighbourhood officers so they're absolutely embedded in that community.

"They have brilliant problem solving skills and they've got really good intelligence gathering skills."

She added: "We've been listening to our communities about what's affecting them.

"The Neighbourhood Support Team [is] part of the wider neighbourhood team so it gives us the ability to tackle either long term or short term problems in those areas.

"I think they are going to be an absolutely huge success."