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Haverhill's Safer Neighbourhood Team of police is coming up to its highest staffing level since it began five years ago.

Two new police community support officers began work today, one in Haverhill and one in the rural area around Clare.

PCSO Mark Isaac, 23, will be responsible for the Chalkstone area and Samuel Ward Academy, where there is an office for him as part of the match-funding scheme for a PCSO with the school.

PCSO Sophie Mitchell will be working in the Clare area,from where PCSO Kayla Packman will be moving to Haverhill to cover the Parkway area and 'old' Haverhill.

PCSO Lorna Chapman will be moving from Sudbury to cover the Clements area of Haverhill.

When the moves are complete, Haverhill will have five PCSOs, whereas it has only had one, PCSO Les Scott, for some months.

Sgt Sarah Bartley said this would bring the SNT staffing up to its highest level since it started in 2007.

She said it would free police officers up to do pro-active work instead of just dealing with work which came in to them.

PCSOs will be out and about on high visibility patrol to reassure the public with the sight of a police officer.

Sgt Bartley also said she thought it would have an impact on the sort of priorities the team could take on and how well they could achieve them.

PCSOs Isaac and Mitchell, both of whom have had the ambition of serving in the police force since they were children, said they were excited at the opportunity to put their training into practice.

They are being monitored as they go about their duties for the first four weeks.

PCSO Isaac, from Halstead, is a former security guard at Tesco in Great Notley, and PCSO Mitchell, from Sudbury, worked in retail management at Greggs in Sudbury.