"TWENTY-first century old- fashioned policing" is the way north Dorset's police commander describes a new initiative launched in the district this week.

Insp Phil Cheverton was speaking at the launch of new Safer Neighbourhood Teams for Blandford, Shaftesbury and Gillingham, held at Shaftesbury Town Hall.

He said: "I am very confident that the three teams we have working together will make a massive impact. With our partners we want to achieve the same goal; to make the public happy and if they are not happy to make sure they have a voice to say why."

Under the scheme the police will be working with a wide range of other organisations, including the town and district councils, youth workers, businesses and community groups, on a list of priorities identified by the public.

Each of the three towns now has a dedicated team of police and community support officers, who will work with the partner groups as part of a Pact (Partners and Communities Together) team.

Public meetings, neighbourhood surgeries, surveys and simply talking to officers on the street corner will be used to gauge public opinion and to come up with three priorities residents want to see tackled. Within eight weeks of the first public meeting in each town the Pact panel will hold another meeting to let the public know what steps have been taken and to explain if something has not been tackled.

Lt Col Michael Oliver, chairman of North Dorset District Council, said: "Dorset is already one of the safest places in the country to live.

"This initiative will build on that premise and NDDC is fully committed to it," he added.

The move is part of a national drive to give the public more of a voice in what happens in their community and to promote bodies working together to solve problems that residents themselves identify and to improve their quality of life and reduce the fear of crime.