THE first police community base has been officially opened in Lymm.

Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner David Keane and acting chief constable Janette McCormick were at Lymm Youth and Community Centre on Friday officially declare the building one of its first community bases.

The centre is one of 23 community bases in Warrington and 122 across Cheshire providing a base for PCSOs to spend more time in the heart of the communities they serve.

Housed in existing buildings, the bases will provide a facility for PCSOs to hold regular surgeries or have confidential discussions with victims, witnesses and other members of the public.

Parish halls, libraries and leisure centre are among the locations selected under the restructure which aims to 'enhance and improve the quality of service' from PCSOs.

PCSOs will also be able to begin and end their daily shift at their community base to increase the amount of time they have to meet local residents and deal with local issues.

Mr Keane said: “Under the previous model, some PCSOs were travelling miles each day to the community they were based in, wasting valuable time that they could be spending in their communities.

“The new bases will help increase police interaction with individual communities, providing a named, recognisable officer and an easily accessible police base for local residents in shared community buildings at no extra cost to the taxpayer."

Steve Griffiths, chairman of Lymm Youth and Community Association who run the centre, added: “We are happy to have local police officers using the centre as a community base in what is a hub for the community.

“Our function is to serve local people and we are happy to continue our very good relationship with Cheshire Police and they’re always welcome to drop in even if there isn’t a scheduled drop-in session.”

The police community bases in Warrington are located in:

The Gateway on Sankey Street

The Fairfield and Howley Neighbourhood Project at The Old School,

Warrington Town Football Club on Common Lane

St Werburgh's Community Hub on Boswell Avenue

Whitecross Community and Recreation Centre on Lexden Street

Birchwood Library on Brock Road

Culcheth Library on Warrington Road

Fearnhead Cross Youth and Community Centre on Insall Road

Woolston Neighbourhood Hub on Hall Road

Burtonwood Library on Chapel Lane

Great Sankey Leisure Centre on Barrowhall Lane,

Hood Manor Community Centre on Raikes Close

Penketh Community Centre on Honiton Way

Your Housing Limited on Harlech Close

Whittle Hall Community Centre on Lonsdale Close

Broomfields Leisure Centre on Broomfields Road

Walton Hall and Gardens on Walton Lea Road

Thelwall Parish Hall on Bell Lane

Stockton Heath Police Station on Grappenhall Road

Lymm Youth and Community Centre on Bridgewater Street

Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub on Jubilee Way

Greenwood Community Centre on Meteor Crescent

University of Chester's Padgate Campus

To find out more visit cheshire.police.uk/local-policing/warrington