16896A NEW police community safety officer will be patrolling the streets in order to crack down on antisocial behaviour.

Janet Gould, 50, started work in Melksham last week. Her main area of responsibility will be Bowerhill, where spates of bad behaviour by youths have recently been reported.

Mrs Gould lives in Trowbridge but is very familiar with Bowerhill, where her parents used to live.

She has completed her training and has already been out and about in Melksham, introducing herself to shop keepers, residents and some of the local youths.

She is the second PCSO to join the Melksham force.

Mrs Gould, who is 6ft1 and worked in the air force for four years, said: "I am open minded about the challenges of the job but one of the main challenges from last year involved the youth of Bowerhill."

Before starting her PCSO training she worked on the consumer care line at Nutricia, Whitehorse Business Park, Trowbridge, which she thinks has put her in good stead for dealing with the public.

She has been thinking about becoming a PCSO for the past two years.

"It seemed to be the sort of job I would like to do because I like meeting people. I'm really looking forward to it. Each day will be different.

"The job is really about proactive policing with the community to help them have a better quality of life so they feel confident and safer."

Melksham Police Inspector Gary Porter said: "I think PCSOs have a major part to play in neighbourhood policing. They make a vast difference to community confidence and create a visible presence on a regular basis.

"They are the visible face of the police service."

He said PCSOs played an important role feeding back information to the police and providing a link between the police and public.

*Insp Porter is organising a meeting to tackle antisocial behaviour issues in Bowerhill, at a date to be set. As reported in the Wiltshire Times last week, residents of Mitchell Drive have been plagued by unruly youths for the past year.

Insp Porter said: "There has been an increase in the reported incidents of antisocial behaviour and I'm looking to chair a meeting with regards to identifying the key areas of concern."