EXTRA police offers have been drafted in to patrol Worcester city centre over the next six months.

The five officers, who have all transferred to West Mercia from other forces, will join the city centre local policing team to cover Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and new year.

The officers have previously been working with other local policing teams across south Worcestershire.

We reported in the Worcester News in May that the force was looking to temporarily bring more numbers into the city centre to deal with anti-social behaviour.

The news comes as survey results show levels of public confidence in the police are currently high in south Worcestershire.

Just under 72 per cent of people asked in the crime and safety survey – conducted between April and June this year – said the police are doing a good or excellent job.

In the same survey, nearly 76 per cent of people believe the police understand the issues which affect their local community.

Chief Inspector for local policing Jerry Reakes-Williams said: “We are pleased that the results of this survey for the quarter show that levels of public confidence in policing are healthy.

“We provide a service to the people of south Worcestershire and we strive to do our best to meet their needs.

“Having extra officers on the streets over the busy period leading up to Christmas will help us target problem areas in the city, while also increasing our visibility so people can have a safe and enjoyable time during the festivities.”