A PILOT scheme that will see traffic police in a North-East force working 12-hour shifts has been given a cautious welcome by senior officers.

The trial for Durham Constabulary's traffic police will start on February 1, and run for the rest of the year.

If successful, it will not be extended to uniformed response staff until they have got used to new north and south divisions, which were brought about in restructuring last year.

Deputy Chief Constable Jon Stoddart said the 12-hour shifts will not be extended until an evaluation of the trial was carried out.

He said: "The force is going through an enormous period of change, and to introduce more change in core policing when many officers may be hard- pressed would be a bridge too far."

The chairman of the Police Federation, Steve Smith, welcomed the experiment, but reserved opinion until the pilot was evaluated.

He said the majority of uniformed officers were in favour of the new 12-hour shifts.

He said: "The executive has raised the expectations of all officers, and will have to ensure the evaluation of the pilot is thorough, transparent and delivered within timescales to meet the expectations of core officers, who are expecting to switch to 12-hour shifts come January 2005."

He said a 12-hour shift system would have to be well managed, with officers given at least 11 hours off between shifts.