THE number of police officers in Stourport has more than doubled in the last six months, providing the town with "a service they deserve".

PC Jon Harris, the beat manager for the town, admitted he had not had the necessary resources until now.

But he predicted the "dawning of a new era" with a complement of 20 officers.

Mr Harris highlighted good community relations as the real key to tackling disorder.

"If there's problems in the Newtown estate I can put officers up there and things will go quiet," he said.

"In the long term that does not cure the problem. We're keen to look at long term causes of problems and cure these." Stourport beat manager PC Jon Harris.

To this end Mr Harris spends two hours a week at Stourport Youth Centre playing football and chatting with the youngsters and also holds a weekly "beat surgery" at Stourport High School.

"My work with the youth is to encourage them to trust the police and feel comfortable about talking to us and sharing problems and information with us," said Mr Harris.

He stressed the public had a central role to play in delivering his vision of cutting crime by "building community spirit so everybody looks out for their neighbour".

Partnerships have produced many of the successes in the last year, Mr Harris pointed out.

The crackdown that saw 20 drivers either cautioned or prosecuted for dangerous driving on the grass riverside car park in the summer was a joint initiative with Wyre Forest District Council

And the introduction of neighbourhood wardens to the Walshes estate, funded by Wyre Forest Community Housing, contributed to a 30 per cent drop in crime in November compared to the same month in 2001.

"Policing is not just about plodding around the High Street giving fixed penalty tickets out," he added.

District council health and safety portfolio holder Brian Glass said he shared Mr Harris' optimism.

He welcomed last month's pioneering anti-social behaviour order banning 16-year-old Richard Loveridge from parts of the town and looked forward to more in the future.

Mr Glass added: "There is no room in Stourport for louts, vandals and shoplifters."