A new face is coming to Maldon and the Dengie in the form of a community officer representing all three blue light services - police, fire and ambulance.

Les Davis is the new 'Tri-Service Rural Community Officer' - a role that's been created as part a 15-month pilot to reach out to some of the more remote rural communities of Essex.

Les will work collaboratively for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS), Essex Police and East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST).

The role is being supported by Roger Hirst, Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Priorities for Les will include being a visible presence and 'protection, prevention and response'. His work will be aimed at safety messaging and advice to the right people at the right time.

Les will divide his time between street visits, joining both in-person and online community network groups and working as a first-responder for the ambulance service. He'll also regularly meet with each emergency service as he continues to adapt the role to target each area.

Les said: "Working for all three emergency services in a collaborative way is a real privilege, as it means I can either directly tackle or pass on safety concerns at a very local level.

"I'm hoping to really get to know the communities I work in so that I can understand what would make them feel safer and more secure in their daily lives.

"While we continue working throughout the pandemic things will run a little differently, but flexibility is in the nature of the job and I'm confident I will still be able to engage with local areas and networks to make a real difference to Maldon and the Dengie Peninsular area."

Les will be using local community network groups, Facebook groups and local media to keep the community updated on where he plans to visit and what he's done.

You can follow Les directly by visiting his Facebook page here.