A HOUSING association with almost 5,000 homes in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and the West Midlands is to fund a mobile phone trial for local policing groups.

Rooftop Housing Group is to work on a pilot scheme with West Mercia Constabulary in the south Worcestershire area. They will provide 12 local policing teams with an in-bound mobile phone.

Local policing teams work in the community to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour issues and they operate using in-bound and out-bound police radios.

The new mobile phones will help officers to keep in touch with neighbourhood watch coordinators, resident groups and housing association staff. They will be able to receive, and react to, up-to-the-minute reports on community crime.

PC Paul Adams, from south Worcestershire local policing support, said: "Much low-level local crime remains unreported, but we want to hear about these incidents so we can work with local groups and do something about it. With the mobile phones, we can give the number to key local contacts and they can call us to report community issues."

Toby Whiting, Rooftop's communications manager, said: "We think this is a good trial to be part of and it will be interesting to see if the mobile phones make a difference to the way local crime is reported. It will certainly be good for our housing officers and resident groups to have a direct link with the local policing teams and we can further extend the very productive partnership we already enjoy with them."

The phone trial will last 12 months. It will be evaluated and, if successful, possibly extended to other teams and areas.