DEDICATED police teams have been set up to tackle hotspots of crime and antisocial behaviour in Lye and Brierley Hill.

Operation Next Steps will see more officers on the beat during the coming months, talking to residents and working with community and voluntary groups to find long term fixes.

Lye town centre and Brierley Hill town centre, including Brockmoor and the area around Mill Street, are two of four zones chosen across the borough to be part of the project.

All residents living within the zones will be spoken to over coming weeks to find out their thoughts and concerns as officers begin work to cut crime and antisocial behaviour in the streets.

It is hoped householders will feel reassured by increased patrols and the execution of warrants on properties suspected of being involved in criminal activity.

Although Dudley police inspector Richard Jones, who is managing the Next Steps programme, acknowledged there was nothing new about the style, he believed it would provide an “invigorated” way of policing.

He said: “As a result of this initiative local police teams will be better placed to respond to, and deal with, the re-occurring crime and antisocial behaviour local people have been telling us about.

“We want to create more opportunities for residents to play an active role in making the community a better place to live.

“This could be anything from highlighting concerns residents would like officers to prioritise, right through to allowing officers to use homes and businesses in the these specific areas for operations.”

The Lye and Brierley Hill zones were identified by analysis of data, particularly crime levels for theft, burglary, robbery, antisocial behaviour and criminal damage. The analysis also took into account social issues within the neighbourhood.