THE MERGER of Runcorn and Widnes police divisions is already proving successful, it was revealed this week.

Supt Peter Hindle told members of the Halton Police Forum that his officers are already feeling the benefit of the changes.

He said: "This is an excellent opportunity to make the best use of our resources,"

"Residents may not necessarily be noticing a lot of difference at the moment but they will in time to come."

The changes include:

Putting Inspectors back on the four uniform blocks which provide 24-hour cover for both towns, allowing inspectors to capitalise fully on the resources available.

A Halton "van" has been introduced to deal with border issues at short notice.

By sharing both custody areas, one can be closed during slack periods enabling more officers to go out on the streets.

Development of the administration structure has brought improved efficiency internally.

A quality of service team has been set up putting greater emphasis on the quality of service both internally and externally.

Runcorn and Widnes will soon be installed with a new computer network which will also improve efficiency and speed up things like replying to letters from the public.

Initiatives that have been successful either side of the bridge are also being introduced.

In Widnes, Supt Hindle hopes to improve the Homewatch scheme which has already been successful in Runcorn.

And in Runcorn, a 13-strong Community Beat Department has been set up in the same mould as the Widnes team.

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