AN East Lancashire policeman is swapping his role in the armed response unit to join the neighbourhood policing team in the Bank Hall area of Burnley.

The addition of beat manager PC Dave Pascoe and a police and community support officer will boost the total number of officers in the area to nine.

PC Pascoe will take over from existing officer PC Dave Clark who has moved on after being promoted to sergeant.

The new community beat manager spent 12 years as an armed response officer and before that worked as a patrol officer in the Rossendale Valley.

He said he is looking forward to laying down his arms and joining the Neighbourhood Policing Team.

He said: "I've really enjoyed my time on the armed response unit but felt the time had come to move on and the idea of working more closely with local communities really appeals to me.

"One of the things I loved about the armed response unit was getting out and about in local schools talking to pupils about things like air weapons and hopefully as a Neighbourhood Police Officer I can do more of this type of thing, making regular visits to schools and other community venues to talk about crime and disorder issues."

PC Pascoe will work closely with Police Community Support Officers Gerry Woods and Mick Fletcher, together with five Neighbourhood Response officers.

And, later this month, the team will be further bolstered with the arrival of another new PCSO.

When he is on duty, he can be contacted on 01282 472908 or 07903 978958.

The next Police and Communities Together Meeting (PACT) will be held on April 25 at 2pm at Lower Bank Hall Community House, Albert Street.