A dedicated town centre policing team is being set up in Wimbledon after a similar nine-strong force in Mitcham received positive feedback from the community.

A team of four police constables, four police community support offers and a police sergeant have been regularly patrolling Mitcham town centre since early April as part of a re-jig of resources by Mitcham and Morden Inspector Darren Mercer.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said last year on a visit to the borough that police had lost some of the community relationships as a result of changes to the policing model.

Merton's Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) were replaced with Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) as part of reforms to local policing in July 2013.

Four safer neighbourhood bases were slashed, with officers instead based out of Mitcham or Wimbledon stations with one PC and one PCSO attached permanently to each ward.

The new town centre group has not cost the taxpayer any additional money as the staff were taken from existing neighbourhood officers.

The Metropolitan Police said the move was part of a plan to ‘improve the reduced confidence in the east of the borough.’

A spokesman said there had already been a number of arrests for theft and drug possession, and the police had been working with businesses and members of the community to identify and act on concerns.

The spokesman said they were in the process of setting up a dedicated team for Wimbledon town centre to carry out similar roles.

Diana Sterck, chief executive of Merton Chamber of Commerce welcomed the news of a Wimbledon town centre team.

She said: "It has been done in the past.

"Anything that can focus on a specific area is a good thing.

"We would see that as good news."

The Mitcham group was set up on Tuesday, April 7 and Sergeant Steve Dorrington, who is in charge, is pleased with how things are going so far.

He said: "We will be highly visible and work quickly to deal with anyone breaking the law in Mitcham town centre.

"We will listen and work with our local community and partners to identify their concerns and priorities - solve the problems that matter to them and implement problem solving to achieve long term solutions."

You can contact the Mitcham Town Centre Team on: 020 8649 3271 or email VWMailbox-MitchamTownCentre@met.pnn.police.uk.