The Shuttle/Times and News, Wyre Forest's number one newspaper, talks to the emergency services every day to ensure coverage is as comprehensive as possible.

But in this new occasional series reporters will get into the thick of the action for an up-close glimpse of what life and routine is like on the front line. Stourport reporter Fred Attewill worked a shift on the beat with one of his regular contacts, Sgt Lee Davenport.

RAIN stopped play as far as the Friday night troublemakers were concerned - but if you thought the police just sat back and waited for the inevitable, think again.

The Shuttle/Times and News picked a "particularly quiet" evening to go out on patrol with Stourport's finest.

But it did show how far the modern police force has evolved to combat crime.

Sgt Lee Davenport, who oversees 27 officers in Stourport and Bewdley as well as acting as a relief response sergeant in Kidderminster, was my guide to Friday night through the eyes of the law.

Unfortunately the weather persuaded the district's decidedly part-time troublemakers to stay at home, although teenagers were out in force.

As we drove through town centres, estates and countryside reports came in over the radio of youths in a disused building in Kidderminster and youths wandering around Cookley. Shuttle/Times and News reporter Fred Attewill prepares for his patrol with Stourport's Sgt Lee Davenport.

A seasoned campaigner with 15 years in the force, Lee saw most of these calls for what they were - jumpy residents reaching for the phone.

But he explained a big part of the police's role was to reassure the public - partly by making their presence felt and partly by nipping problems in the bud.

The buzz phrase is "intelligence-led policing" - analysing what problems are happening where and liaising with victims and warning culprits to ensure quieter streets.

"We can keep sitting here and wait for the calls to come in and deal with those problems - and we're very good at that," said Lee.

"But now we've realised you can keep having officers attend a problem. And with technology demand will only ever increase.

"The more officers we put in a response role, they will only ever keep up with demand. The idea is to break the demand so we can actually start to reduce problems."

He added extra officers in the past 18 months have been put into this "local policing" role.

But the "hotspots" were quiet, along with the rest of Wyre Forest.

Lee explained even though Kidderminster was easily the biggest of the three towns, Stourport and Bewdley often generated more calls from residents at the weekend because people lived in the town centres.

"Town centre disorder is amplified in Stourport and Bewdley because you've got people living in the same location," he said.

"To a degree as long as they're not causing damage to property in Kidderminster town centre you can be more tolerant of people's behaviour. There are far more noise complaints in Stourport and Bewdley."

Some Friday and Saturday nights nobody will be held in Kidderminster Police Station's cells whereas at other times the 12-capacity block is full and Worcester has to take the overflow.

Other sources of problems - like road accidents or domestic disputes - tended to be more evenly spread, Lee added.

Most people treated the police with respect but tensions could arise from different expectations.

"You'll have one person whose house has been burgled and they expect an officer within three or four minutes," said Lee.

At such times how to handle a situation is everything.

"The most important skill any police officer's got is his personal skill."