THE team of police officers who patrol the town centre in Yeovil have achieved some good results in its first 15 months of operation.

The team, which consists of one sergeant and five PCs, made 227 arrests between May 2002 and May 2003. It was set up in April of last year and the officers are totally dedicated to the town centre which includes the main shopping area and the new Yeovale leisure complex.

In the financial year 2002-03 the team's work resulted in a 35 per cent decrease in theft from motor vehicles, a 32 per cent decrease in robberies and a 10 per cent decrease in shop lifting. For the same period the detection rate has also increased by 26 per cent.

Sergeant Steve Christopher said: "Being in uniform and having police on the patrol does work. However, the motivation of the officers does make a difference and my team are all totally motivated to make Yeovil town centre a safer place to be."

The team has also helped with the growth of the radio link which is used by 120 premises to alert each other and the police of suspected shop lifters and trouble makers.

Town centre manager for Yeovil, Nina Higgins, said: "The increase in the number of police officers patrolling the town centre beat, together with the partnership working between the police and Yeovil Retail Crime Reduction Team, has led to a very distinctive decrease in recorded crime in the town centre.

"This has obvious economic benefits for the town as well as giving a very clear message to our customers and staff that Yeovil is a safe and pleasant place to shop and visit."