Police officers will spend less time taking statements, interviewing suspects and filing paperwork, in a bid to get more of them back on the beat.

Instead, an army of civilian case investigators will be employed to carry out office work and ease pressure on regular police officers.

It is the second initiative in recent weeks, following the purchase of BlackBerry mobile communication devices, aimed at getting police officers out of the station and on to the street.

Around 24 new civilian case investigators should be starting in Oxfordshire later this year - and a further 80 across the Thames Valley Police region.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Sharp, Oxfordshire crime manager, said: "We will use them for taking statements, doing the paperwork and dealing with prisoners in custody.

"This releases teams of police officers back out on visibility patrols. It also helps CID officers to get back out to continue their investigations."

A police report handed to the Thames Valley Police Authority in June, into the need for case investigators, said they would reduce pressure on regular officers.

The report says: "A proposal has been developed to provide additional support in the form of police staff investigators to those areas most affected in order to alleviate this pressure."

There are currently 48 case investigators working across Thames Valley.

Mr Sharp added: "There are lots of opportunities to do roles that do not need a warrant officer and that is how we will be using them.

"They will carry out roles such as doing paperwork, taking statements, interviewing people and dealing with people in custody.

"We expect a good response, both from people who are interested in how policing and investigating crime works, and from former or retired police officers. I don't expect a shortage of applications."

Andy Viney, secretary of the Thames Valley Police Federation, said police across Thames Valley were under pressure because of the number of experienced officers leaving for other forces.

In the past year, 78 officers left for the Metropolitan Police in London - the largest exodus in six years.