WARWICKSHIRE police officers on motorway duties are to be released for more frontline work, thanks to a new partnership.

The county's motorway unit has teamed up with the Central Motorway Police Group, a group of officers from different forces, to pool resources and patrol the Midlands' motorways more effectively.

The move has freed 34 officers, who will be deployed around the county to deal with other traffic incidents and to back-up high profile patrols in crime-busting initiatives like Operation Impact.

The CMPG is a consortium of police units from Staffordshire, West Mercia and the West Midlands which currently patrols the M5, M54 and the M6 and when Warwickshire joins in April, it will also cover the M40, M45, M69 and M42.

The aim is to ensure there is no "doubling up" of policing on road stretches, which cuts down costs and frees resources.

This is vital in Warwickshire as it contains more motorway miles than any other county.

"Although we have policed the motorways very effectively in the past, the county's high motorway mileage has meant that a high proportion of traffic officers have been deployed in an area that is relatively quiet," said chief constable John Burbeck, who announced the move at last week's Police Authority meeting.

"By joining CPMG, we will benefit from the redeployment of 34 constables, our traffic officers can police the county's roads for the benefit of Warwickshire residents and several motorway call handlers will be released to help in other areas."

The Warwickshire division of the CPMG will feature one inspector, three sergeants and 30 constables who have volunteered for the duty.