I HAVE often wondered what life is like on beat so I decided to switch my notepad and pen for a badge and spend the day with Evesham's newest policing team. 

The first thing I noticed as I walked through the town centre with Evesham's Town Centre Team (TCT) was that they are treated like local celebrities.

Each member was on first name basis with the vast majority of the public with many thanking them for the hard work they do. 

The new TCT, set up in September consists of three officers, Matt Beards, Adam Johns and Martin Kennedy. 

The officers, who have made a visible difference to the town centre according to residents, patrol the area throughout the day including crime hotspots (High Street and Bridge Street).

PC Kennedy said: "The idea behind it is it plants that seed that if somebody is out in an area to commit crime or ASB and they see our presence it will make a difference.

"They see the police and that seed has been planted that police are in the area and then that will deter them from committing any crime or acting in an antisocial manner for a prolonged period of time.

"We try and do it as many times as we can at least daily.

"We are finding whilst we are here it's a great opportunity to engage with the retailers and the community, get info and have a chat with people and see what the lay of the land is and how people are finding the town and if they've got any concerns and any issues they want to speak with us about.

During the patrol, officers went into various shops, asked a man to stop drinking, talked with a "prolific shoplifter", all the while engaging with residents many of whom they were on a first-name basis with. 

Jack Healey, manager at one of Evesham's many shops said: "Shoplifting in this store has been a problem since forever essentially.

"We have been known to lose up to £1,000 to £2,000 a week from regular shoplifters that have been targeting us and other stores in the area continuously over the last few years but I've already seen that the new TCT has made a difference.

"We have noticed a reduction, obviously we are never going to banish all shoplifting but I think having that visible presence has made a big difference in the town centre especially."

Probably the most moving incident during the patrol was when the officers talked with a prolific shoplifter who knew the cops by name. 

The man had recently been released from a custodial sentence and the officers attempted to offer welfare support such asking if he had eaten recently and offering advice on where to go instead of rough sleeping.

Around the time the TCT was introduced, a group of businesses also started a WhatsApp chat to alert other shops if a shoplifter was in the area. 

Charmaine O'Leary, a security officer at Evesham's Waitrose said: "I think the new TCT is great and we all work together.

"I've never had any problems with the police, every time I've needed them I've called and they've always been here within 10 minutes and they've dealt with the situation.

"I see them all the time patrolling in the town centre and I think it's not just good for them being in the town centre to stop theft but to stop crime as well.

"It's good that their presence is there."