From today, Essex Police is making a number changes to the way officers and police staff work across the county.

Each of the ten policing districts, under the direction of a local Chief Inspector, will now have a team of officers responsible for responding to and investigating crime and other community concerns.

The new teams will be known as Local Policing Teams.

They will work from local stations and operate on a 24/7 basis.

The changes will move 500 officers to work under the direct control of local police commanders.

This is made possible by aligning the currently centrally co-ordinated response officers to the local policing teams.

According to Essex Police: "The reorganisation recognises the importance of local policing, clear accountability to communities and strong understanding local problems."

See this week's MBS for the full story.