Totnes Police officers have been stepping up their foot patrols through the town centre after some concerns from the local community about the raise in graffiti, people drinking in the street and beggars in the area.

By doing regular patrols they aim to improve our visibility, both as a reassurance to the public, but also as a deterrent to any potential offenders looking to commit crime.

While on patrol last week, officers completed a drugs stop search on two young people, which resulted in an illegal substance being found and seized.

They were both given community resolutions, which means they will be taking part in online course to educate them on drugs misuse and signpost them to any support they may need.

As always, people are encouraged to come and speak to them when they see them out.

The Neighbourhood Policing Teams consist of Neighbourhood Team Leaders (police sergeants), Neighbourhood Beat Managers (police officers) and police community support officers (PCSOs) who are accountable to their local community.

A key element of the role is to undertake community engagement to understand community concerns and update them on police activity in order to build confidence.

They work in partnership with teams both within the police (for example alcohol licensing and youth intervention) and externally (local authorities, Environmental Health and registered social landlords) to problem solve community issues.

The underlying principle of the neighbourhood policing model is to intervene at the earliest possible opportunity to prevent an escalation of crime and harm.