CHANGES to policing boundaries are taking place in the Devizes area.

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.

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 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."

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.

The changes in the Kennet area mean that 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.