WILTSHIRE launched its new policing model this week in a major shake-up that will do away with named neighbourhood officers on the beat.

No longer will one team patrol the streets while another responds to emergency calls.

Under the Community Policing Model, all officers will divide their time between community policing and 999 response work in what the force is calling a “one-team approach”.

Wiltshire has been divided into four areas — north, south, east and west — with three more zones for Swindon.

Salisbury, Wilton, Laverstock and Downton come under the southern region, Tisbury and Mere fall in the west, while Amesbury, Durrington, Bulford, Larkhill, Tidworth and Ludgershall are in the eastern sector.

Each team will have an inspector in charge of sergeants, community co-ordinators, police constables, community support officers (PCSOs) local crime investigators and special constables.

The inspector for the south of the county is Pete Sparrow, with Nick Mawson in the east and James Brain in the west.

The new model is being launched after a one-year trial in the Trowbridge, Warminster, Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Tisbury and Mere areas.

Police commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “I have closely followed the work in the pilot area and was sufficiently impressed by what I saw that I made the decision that this was the right model for the force.”

The police say laptops and smart phones allow officers to work more remotely, so they can spend more time out in the community.

Assistant chief constable Kier Pritchard said: “The principle behind it is making sure our local police teams are working closely together so that the right person, regardless of rank or role, is tasked with responding to a call or investigating a crime.”

MIKE White, chairman of Wiltshire Police Federation, said officers were broadly supportive of the new model, but some beat teams were concerned it would dilute their previous work.

He said communities would have less easy access to a named officer, although PCSOs would take on some of the work.

“They are vital in making this work, “ he added.

Mr White also said the police may have to dedicate fewer resources to certain, less serious crimes, offering a “silver” instead of a “gold service”, so they can focus on more important offences.

He said: “We have 250 fewer officers than we did seven years ago. That has a knock-on effect.

We can’t keep delivering the same level of service. Recorded crime is going to creep up.”

Mr White said many response teams had been “desperate” for the changes, so they would not have to attend so many incidents.