MALVERN's new police sergeant is getting officers out of their cars and back on the beat.

Sgt Alex Denny took over the Malvern Safer Neighbourhood team about eight weeks ago and revealed his plans this week.

He said: "I'm very keen to encourage officers to get out and about on foot, because that's the way to get to know what's really happening.

"If you see an officer driving past at 30mph, you can't stop them and talk to them, but if the officers are on foot, people can talk to them and tell them what's going on, what they are worried about so on."

He said he had already set the plan in motion, and had got positive feedback from local residents about it.

He said: "People have noticed and they have commented to me about it, saying how pleased they are to see police officers out and about in the community."

Latest police figures show crime has risen in Malvern. In 2016 there were 3,550 offences reported in Malvern, up from 3,126 the previous year.

Sgt Denney, speaking at the annual meeting of Malvern Town Council, said that he will be further raising the profile of policing with a special day of action on Thursday, March 30, which will see officers working alongside agencies including the Community Safety Partnership, the fire service and housing associations.

He said the aim is to get together to highlight problems in the community and the best way to solve them.

At Tuesday's town council meeting Cllr Ian Hopwood said that one of the big problems for residents in his Link ward was cars parking on pavements.

He said: "It makes it very difficult for mums pushing buggies - or grandads pushing buggies for that matter - when they can't fit through the narrow gap and have to go out into the road to get round the parked cars."

Sgt Denny said that this is one of the issues that police officers, working together with civil enforcement officers, will be highlighting on Thursday, March 30.

"I'm a father of two, so I know the problem and I feel your pain. Parking on pavements, the abuse of disabled blue badges, these are the kind of issues that people worry about and which they want to see action over."