OKEHAMPTON police are undertaking a three-month trial to increase high visibility policing in rural parishes.
One officer is being given the primary role of patrolling the outlying parishes of Okehampton in a bid to raise the profile of the police.
Inspector Keith Perkin is writing to all the parish clerks in the area to inform them that an officer will be in their village on a regular basis.
'I will be asking the parish clerks at what times they would like to see the officer — like school arrival and departure times,' he said.
'It is times like this when the community can get to know an officer and he or she can become aware of their problems and concerns.'
With over 30 parishes in the Okehampton area, the police officer will be busy, but the inspector expects each village to get a visit once or twice a week.
'The villages around Okehampton are traditionally low crime areas but they are not forgotten,' he said.
'For me it is important to have high visibility policing throughout the area not just in the towns and if I had more officers I would have more community constables.
'The initiative is for three months to start with and then it will be reviewed after we have had feedback from the communities,' he said.