Police divisions refining changes

The Crime and Disorder Act 1999 required community and policing boundaries to be the same.

As a result of the act, Devizes, formerly part of the Chippenham Division, and Marlborough, which had traditionally been a part of the Swindon Division, were lumped together with Salisbury.

The whole of Kennet came under the umbrella of the Salisbury A police division, which already included Pewsey.

West Wiltshire, including Warminster and Westbury, formerly part of the Salisbury division, joined with the North Wiltshire district to form the Chippenham C police division.

Now refinements within the revised divisions are taking place to put towns and villages in community groups.

A police spokesman said: 'Each of the towns in the Kennet district have their own community area boundaries within which they provide local services and, from April 1, the police boundaries will be re-aligned to mirror exactly each community area boundary.

'This change will enable police staff to work more closely with individuals from other agencies and partnerships also operating in the same geographical community area.

'These simpler lines of communication should lead to even better working relationships, more focused on local initiatives.'

As a result of the changes, a number of villages will be policed by a different station with, in most cases, a different community beat officer.

There will be six changes in the Kennet area as follows: Beechingstoke, Chirton, Marden, Stanton St Bernard and Patney, which were all previously policed by Devizes, will now come under Pewsey Police Station.

Tidcombe and Fosbury will come under Tidworth instead of Marlborough.

Pewsey Police Station has gained four extra villages but has also gained an extra officer, WPC Nikki Burt, for the Pewsey sub-division.

The police statement said: 'There will be no loss of service and the change in personnel will be no different to the natural change experienced when an officer is posted.'