VISITORS to Bournemouth can expect an even warmer welcome when a new team of town centre rangers hits the streets later this month.

Funded by the new Business Improvement District (BID), the team of six will be on hand to help people get the most out of their visit.

From giving directions and helping out with incidents to tackling anti-social behaviour and shoplifting, the enthusiastic team are certain to be a hit.

Six rangers have been recruited and are currently undergoing training before taking up their roles in time for the Bournemouth Air Festival , one of the busiest times of the year.

They will be dressed in red, clearly identified as town centre rangers and in direct contact with police, CCTV operators and businesses via the Shopwatch radio network.

All have a customer services background and were selected due to their outgoing personalities and enthusiasm for the town.

Phil Kelly, who had a successful 25 year career in the British Army, has been appointed head ranger.

He said: “We’ve got an enthusiastic team and there’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes to ensure they’re professionally trained and equipped and able to work effectively with the police and PCSOs to make a real difference.

Chairman of the town centre BID board and boss of Beales Tony Brown added: “Bournemouth gets nearly five million visitors a year and we want to ensure they get the best possible welcome, have the best possible experience and discover that we’ve got a great town centre as well as a fantastic beach.”

Similar teams operate in other town and city centres including Newcastle, Bedford, parts of London and Rugby where shoplifting has reduced by 50 per cent since their introduction.

The newly-appointed Bournemouth rangers are conducting some of their training alongside the team in Rugby.

The Business Improvement District was created when town centre businesses agreed to pay a levy on their business rates to fund improvements to the town centre.