Shoppers and residents in the seaside town of Teignmouth will notice a greater police presence in the town today as 22 new officers take to the beat.

The extra officers are not an increase in the officer numbers at the station, but are in the final stages of their training before being sent to stations across the force area.

Jeanette Ritson, the service delivery manager from Learning and Development at Middlemoor said, “We have previously used a number of locations across the force for student officers to deal with practical scenarios in the public eye.

“The officers are assessed at the time by an experienced colleague who will assess their actions and test their level of knowledge.”

The practicals have previously taken place in Exeter, Newton Abbot and Exmouth. Occasionally this has resulted in crimes or other matters being reported by the public to the students who have then either dealt with the incident or call on the assistance of the local staff.

Sector Inspector Chris Shaw said: “I welcome the recruits to Teignmouth albeit they are here for the day only.

“I realise how important the training is and the added pressure of dealing with situations when in the public eye only adds to the realism for the recruits.

“These are the officers of the future and I am pleased that the public in the town will be able to see their training in action.”

The public are welcome to speak to the police and staff during the day who will me more than happy to explain any aspect of the training.