PEOPLE are being urged to spell out their views about how their local police service is delivered - and what they believe the priorities should be.

Cleveland Police Authority chairman Councillor Dave McLuckie and Chief Constable Sean Price, with local district commanders, will begin a series of meetings later this month.

Coun McLuckie said: "These meetings are a vital element in our overall programme of public consultation and they really do influence the way we develop our services for the future.

"Last year, for example, the overwhelming message we received from local people was that they supported our campaign to oppose the setting up of a single regional police force, and the need for us to retain a police service which is genuinely local and genuinely accountable.

"The support we received from the community was, I believe, vital in helping make sure that our campaign succeeded and that we were able to secure the future of Cleveland Police."

Coun McLuckie said messages he had received from meetings in the past suggested people wanted local policing, with officers allocated to specific areas.

He said as a result, Cleveland Police had moved towards neighbourhood policing, which had proved highly successful during a pilot in Hartlepool and had now been extended across the area.

Mr Price said: "We know that we need the support and consent of local people if we are to succeed in the continuing challenge of bringing down levels of crime and anti-social behaviour."

The meetings, which run from 6pm to 8pm, are as follows:

Monday, Stockton Library, Church Road

Thursday, September 20, Redcar and Cleveland College, Redcar

Monday, September 24, Middlesbrough Teaching and Learning Centre, Tranmere Avenue

Tuesday, October 2, Sir William Gray Suite, Hartlepool Historic Quay