SERGEANT Ben Huggins is the newest face of the Corsham Neighbourhood Policing Team after filling the shoes of Sgt Nick Cooke who retired from the force.

As well as taking up the new role in Corsham two months ago, he has also been managing Calne Neighbourhood Policing Team since last July, and is now responsible for a team of 11 as well as special constables and police volunteers. For the next month he has also been appointed as acting inspector for Chippenham, Malmesbury and Cricklade.

But thanks to the low-level crimes and reliable officers in the two towns he is taking the roles in his stride. The current priorities for the Corsham team, who include PC Hazel Anderson, PC Mandie Ball and PCSO Shaun Redmond, are speeding issues, farm burglaries and anti-social behaviour at the town's skate park and the bus stop in Market Place, Colerne.

He said: “It has its own small problems, as all areas do, but generally speaking it’s low levels of anti-social behaviour, low levels of crime.

“The fact that the officers are quite switched on means that most of the crime is nipped in the bud and dealt with quite quickly. It's a safe place for people to live with no major problems.”

Sgt Huggins joined the force at age 19 after being encouraged by an officer while he was working as a supermarket security guard and hasn’t looked back since. At the age of 28 he is also one of the youngest in the force to be promoted into the management role.