PCSOs Lisa Newman and Sharon Tarling have worked together in the Hartcliffe and Withywood areas for the past two years. They have recently moved areas to work alongside PC Ben Dash as the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Team.

Lisa said: "I previously worked as an enquiry clerk, dealing with members of the public at Broadbury Road Police Station. It was here that I became aware at first hand of people's frustrations of not seeing officers on patrol in their neighbourhoods as often as they'd like.

"PCSOs like Sharon and myself spend 95 per cent of our time out on foot patrol and have worked tirelessly to build bridges with the people on our patch.

"We work closely with PC Ben Dash, providing the reassurance of regular foot patrols and supporting him in finding solutions to local problems, from criminal damage to anti-social behaviour and drug dealing. We also have regular inputs at local schools on issues like road safety.

Sharon said: "The fact that we're on first name terms with so many members of the community, including the young people, speaks for itself and shows we're seen as approachable and trusted by them. We've managed to educate people about our role and overcome initial suspicions.

"We've reaped the benefits of this in lots of ways. One particular case that stands out is when some local people approached us about a drug dealer who was operating in their area. We fed this information in to our police colleagues and it directly led to raids and the suspect was arrested in possession of 60 wraps of heroin. Without investing the time to develop good relationships with the local people, we would never have had access to this information."

Sharon worked as a homecare assistant and hairdresser before joining up as a PCSO.

She said: "As my children have got older and I have less childcare commitments, the flexible hours really suit me. I literally saw the job advertised and thought 'I could do that!'

"I love my job to the extent that I have now decided to train to become a police officer."

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