Districts of Congleton and the surrounding areas have been assigned three new beat officers as part of a community policing initiative.

Aimed at making police more accessible to the public, the scheme developed by Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane comes with a £200,000 investment to deliver local projects which tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Dedicated PCs are joining Police Community Support Officers in each of the county's 122 policing areas.

The model builds on a successful initiative to provide a dedicated PCSO and police community base for each area.

The new community police officers will work with their fellow PCSO, the wider policing team, and key partners to build relationships within the community, sharing the same mission to solve problems at their root-cause before they become more serious.

Cheshire Police says they will spend more time in the heart of their dedicated communities and be given time to deal with issues that matter most to local residents.

Residents will have more opportunities to directly contact their officers; either online, through social media, or face-to-face during police surgeries.

The work of the new community policing teams will be supported by a funding package for each community, made available by the Police and Crime Commissioner from money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

This will consist of a £1,000 funding pot for all 122 communities and an additional £10,000 for all eight policing units that local people can bid for to deliver projects which work with the local policing team and key partners to address specific issues.

By investing this money back into communities, the Commissioner hopes this sends a clear message that crime doesn't pay.

PCC David Keane said: "My focus will always be to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour, support victims and protect vulnerable people. I believe the best way to do this is by delivering a truly local police service that is fit for the future and an integral part of our communities.

"This project is about local police working more closely than ever before with local communities, to meet local priorities. With the support of Cheshire residents, we have been able to increase our officer numbers, which has helped make this next stage possible.

"Delivering it has been a key budget priority for me this year and I am pleased we have been able deliver this initiative despite the challenges that Covid-19 has posed.

"I'm confident having dedicated officers will build on the success we've already had in providing each community with a dedicated PCSO and its own community base and will allow us to stay connected to our communities in light of new coronavirus restrictions."

Cheshire Police Chief Constable Darren Martland said: "This is a big step forward and exciting development in our policing model."

The PCs assigned for Congleton and the surrounding area are:

• Congleton East: PC Helen Weeks joins PCSO David Bell who will be based at Bromley Farm Community Hub.

• Congleton West: PC Iain Bell joins PCSO Ben Hooper who will be based at New Life Church

• Odd Rode: PC Kate Ritchie joins PCSO Jeanette Carter who will be based at Glebe Farm.