GLOUCESTERSHIRE, Warwickshire and West Mercia are to have extra police officers on the beat over the next three years.

Police forces across England and Wales heard last Friday how the 4,000 new police officers, announced recently as part of the Government's spending review, are to be allocated.

Home Office Minister Barbara Roche said that money for the new officers is to be divided between forces according to the Police Grant and Standard Spending Assessment formula.

"Forces have now been given an unexpected boost to their existing recruitment plans and will want to work hard to ensure they use these extra ring-fenced resources to improve their crime fighting capabilities," she said.

"In return the Government and the public will want to see results - reduction in crime, with more offenders being brought to justice."

The extra funding will expand the crime fighting fund, now worth £395 million, by 4,000 additional recruits bringing it up to 9,000 over three years.

Under the latest announcement, Warwickshire will have an extra 21 recruits in 2000/2001, 14 in 2001/2002 and 24 the following year.

West Mercia will get a total of 152 with 50 the first year, 59 the second and 43 the third, while Gloucestershire will have 29 the first year, 35 the second and 22 the third making a total of 86.

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Tony Butler said: "These officers will be recruited over the next two-and-a-half years and therefore it is too early to predict where in the county they will be posted.

"However, we are extremely grateful for this funding and are looking forward to getting these officers into front-line policing as soon as possible.

"We have already made good use of our first allocation by deploying them as rural beat officers who are building strong networks within local rural communities."

West Mercia is already recruiting new police officers and has a number of applicants.