POLICE officers working in Wallsend town centre have moved into a new office - in the middle of a shopping precinct.
The two Wallsend community beat officers who cover the town centre now start and end their shifts from an office in the Forum shopping centre, making them more accessible to residents and shopkeepers.
PCs Simon O'Neill and Will Munroe are based in the centre's management suite after DTZ, the centre's managing agents, agreed to let Northumbria Police have some free office space.
Computer equipment has also been installed so that officers can write up reports and access information without having to return to the police station.
Wallsend Area Command Inspector Bruce Storey said: "It is beneficial for everyone to have officers based in one of the busiest parts of the town.
"It is reassuring both for shoppers and the businesses to have a visible police presence around the town centre.
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