A NEW era of policing has begun in Winsford after the opening of a Neighbourhood Policing Unit that will revolutionise how crime is dealt with.

A team of officers will be based at the NPU at Winsford Police Station and will deal with issues specific to the town.

Brian Roberts, neighbourhood policing inspector, said: "I want people seeing and having regular contact with the same officers week in week out.

"I want them to have a lasting and trusting relationship with us.

"I still have my community action team (CAT) which has dedicated areas and deals with the long term crime and disorder problems in those areas.

"I now have a team of investigation staff who will deal with the crime, road policing and other incidents that do not require an immediate deployment."

The unit was officially opened on Monday last week and Insp Roberts believes his officers have hit the ground running.

He said: "The first week saw staff kept very busy dealing with the current workload and the flow of the new investigations.

"Everybody is full of enthusiasm and I can see the start of a great team developing.

"There were a number of critical incidents that did cause significant impact in the unit, including the serious assault on the 14-year-old on Grampion Way.

"Our colleagues on the serious investigation unit (SIU) were dealing with the suspect and we dealt with the inevitable community impact on the Over estate.

"The first week resulted in some long days for all the NPU staff but I am optimistic that these new policing methods are going to work.

"I will not guarantee miracles but I can promise that Winsford has a team of staff on the NPU who are determined to make a difference."