Thames Valley Police are confident new measures to help people contact them quickly and effectively will help them win the fight against crime.

One of the most common criticisms of the force is that phones are not answered, or callers are sent round the houses when they try to get someone to help them.

But officers are confident they can improve the situation, with police enquiry centres (PECs).

The centre at Oxford Spires Business Park in Kidlington will have a staff of 90, while 60 people will staff the centre in Windsor.

The centres will operate alongside new control rooms in Abingdon and Milton Keynes, and will mean control room staff can concentrate on 999 calls. The first time someone calls to report a crime, the details will be taken by specially-trained crime recorders.

Callers will be given a crime report number, and PEC staff can easily update details if someone calls back.

This will mean officers will no longer have to make house calls for every reported crime.

The force says officers can spend more time on the beat and not have to return to the station to complete paperwork.

Since their introduction last year, PECs have been fielding an increasing number of inquiries and, later this year, the centres will take over all non-emergency calls.

Staff click on the crime history of a location, searching for previous incidents or earlier reports of people acting suspiciously in the area.

They also have access to detailed maps, giving them local knowledge while talking to someone anywhere in the Thames Valley.