A NEW help desk and a massive increase in staffing will give the public a better service, say police.

Widnes station now has two dedicated inquiry desks and eight staff - instead of one desk and two overworked staff.

Chf Insp Dave Booth said: "Now we can make sure when people arrive they've got a good chance of being dealt with quickly and efficiently."

Partly because of the new desks, the number of routine police matters still outstanding has plummeted from around 140 at the start of the year to as little as four now.

Chf Insp Booth said: "In policing terms, those jobs fall into the routine bracket.

"But these are jobs that affect people's quality of life."

He said the lack of staff for the old desk used to make them 'feel embarrassed' because people had to wait for long periods to be dealt with.

"You used to feel sorry for people and apologise as best you could," he said.

The new desk will be open from 8am to 10pm.

Veronica Glynn, 62, has worked on the front desk for seven years.

Her job has ranged from dealing with mundane inquiries to the time she had to shepherd people away from a schizophrenic man who smashed the front door and cut his wrists on the glass.

"But it's all part of the job, you can't back away from it" she said.

She added: "With the new desk opening hours, the rate payers are getting value for their money, and they weren't before.

"It's far better now, you feel you are serving the public better."

Similar desks are planned for every station in the county.