THE success of a Newport neighbourhood policing team will soon be matched elsewhere in the county, Gwent's police chief claims.

Chief Constable Mike Tonge says that by September 300 police officers and community safety officers will be in place in neighbourhood policing teams across the county.

It comes as the Argus yesterday revealed how the neighbourhood team in Pill have witnessed a 25 per cent fall in crime since they began a crackdown in April.

Incidents are down from 342 in the same period last year to 256 this year.

Mr Tonge said this neighbourhood-style, which puts more bobbies on the beat, is already producing results in parts of Gwent and will soon be rolled-out across the whole of the county.

The officers are being transferred from desk-jobs or standby emergency roles.

He said: "What we are seeing in Pill is only a start. We will have everyone in place across the force area by September. We are responding to what people want - more bobbies on the beat to tackle crimes that affect quality of life."

As part of the neighbourhood scheme, officers in Pill and elsewhere have introduced an innovative scheme of leafleting homes in a bid to improve communication and trust with communities.

The leaflets request information regarding known local problems and later advise residents on the steps taken by the police to combat the issue.

Mr Tonge said: "Successful policing is not about phones, radios or computers but about people and building relations with them.

"It's about getting back into communities and winning their confidence." To that end the chief constable is also introducing a system whereby callers reporting crime are later contacted with feedback as to the outcome of the report.

He added: "Neighbourhood policing been my mantra since I came to Gwent.

"It took time to take stock of what we've got in Gwent but now it's being put into action."