SPECIALIST police officers are part of a new team focussing on catching the thieves stealing tools from vans across Marlborough and Pewsey.

The town is now being policed by a new-look Community Tasking Team, and its acting community co-ordinator PC Paul Brewster is asking for local people’s help in beating the van thefts. His team’s other top priorities are policing anti-social behaviour in Marlborough and tackling the challenges faced by officers in rural communities.

The CTT includes six officers, one sergeant and one civilian local crime investigator. The area has seen a rise in thefts from vans and burglaries since November, making it a top priority for the team.

Builders, tree fellers and engineers are among the victims, when vans are broken into overnight while outside owner’s homes.

PC Brewster said: “The CTT are focussed on this type of crime and they are targeting the many people involved to build evidence against these individuals.They have to work from forensic evidence and intelligence from the public. We rely on people telling us what they saw and reporting incidents.”

Town councillor Lisa Farrell said: “I fully support the police but we are vulnerable because thieves know that it will take 20 minutes for an officer to get to us from Devizes. Something needs to be done to stop the cuts being made to our police service by the Government.”

Martin Browne lost £1,000 of goods when his van was broken into in February. He said: “It is people’s livelihoods at the end of the day so anything the police do to highlight and look into the crime is a good thing.”

PC Brewster, 33, has been with Wiltshire Police for 10 and a half years and recently moved from Chippenham station to the team covering Marlborough and Pewsey. PC Brewster, 33, believes a recent change in policing borders which sees offivers from Salisbury, and not Marlborough, travel to crimes in Amesbury and Tisbury will allow more resources to stay within the town.

Perceived anti-social behaviour in the town is currently a priority for the town’s PCSOs Lucy Stonestreet and Mark Braithwaite.

He said: “I don’t believe there is more anti social behaviour than other towns but if that is the perception, there is a problem and it is our job to do something about it. Marlborough’s two dedicated PCSOs know the youths in Marlborough and keep a good eye on things.”

“The Marlborough, Pewsey and Devizes area is sparsely populated in areas but very large. “I’m used to responding to more 999 calls but I have been liaising with cllrs, organising the areas pcsos meeting with the inspector and finding out more about the behind the scenes role of the job.“Marlborough and Devizes and Pewsey have totally different challenges to the area covering Chippenham for example. It is different geographically.Sometimes this makes it challenging to get a visible presence because you don’t have more officers but you have to spread them across a larger area.”

To report a theft or non emergency crime call 101.