An extra 48 police officers will be put on Kent’s streets as part of an initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The Task teams, each made up of one sergeant and five PCs, will police every district in the county from the autumn.

They will be placed in hotspot areas for a sufficient period of time to solve ongoing problems.

Local people, through Partners and Community Together meetings (PACT), can also play their part by making suggestions for where they would like the task teams placed.

The announcement follows the introduction of six neighbourhood task teams in September last year - one for each policing area.

The new teams will mean all 13 districts in Kent and Medway will be covered.

Chief Constable Mike Fuller said at a Kent Police Authority meeting today it was worth the cost.

He said: “I am very pleased. We didn’t know if the (Kent Police) Authority would grant the money, but it has, and this will make a big difference in tackling crime in the community.

"The task teams will mean that neighbourhood policing will get an additional enforcement arm as they can call on the new officers for support."

Ann Barnes, chair of the police authority, said: "This investment will more than double the number of hard hitting task teams out on our streets.

"The shift of one team per policing area to one per district is good news for residents. These teams will act as the enforcement arm in neighbourhood policing - making a positive difference."

The news comes as Police Authority members agreed to increase the police council tax by 4.99 per cent. For the average band D house this is an increase of 12p a week - or £6.40 a year.