Dorchester is to get new police cells to ensure more bobbies stay on the beat.

Siting a new block in the town would prevent officers having to make the eight-mile trip to deliver a prisoner to the western division custody suite in Weymouth - a trip that can involve hours of officer time due to the mass of paperwork.

Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Whiting also pledged to swell the ranks of Dorchester's community beat team.

Mr Whiting made his announcements during a walkabout in Dorchester to highlight Inside Justice Week which runs from October 17-23 and aims to promote the workings of the Criminal Justice System.

Acting Sergeant Steve Foot, who invited Mr Whiting to join him on the county town beat, said the lack of a custody facility in the town was the biggest concern facing officers. He said two officers must escort a prisoner into custody.

The arresting officer remains with the offender which can take two to six hours.

Dorchester lost its cells when new police facilities were built in West Dorset four years ago as part of a £25 million development.

Mr Whiting said the number of arrests in Dorset was increasing so there was a need to provide extra custody blocks.

He said: "Cell accommodation is a significant issue in Dorchester and it's something we will be looking to introduce next year.

"It would be a limited custody facility to increase flexibility when officers have made arrests and would be used for people who are not in custody for long periods of time.

"It would mean that officers remain on their section and are able to deal with incidents more quickly."

Mr Whiting said freeing up officer time and providing extra police in Dorchester as part of a rolling programme over the next three years was a response to demands from the public.

He said his patrol on the beat yesterday was not unusual as he liked to get on to the front-line regularly to see what the issues were affecting officers and members of the public.

Acting Sgt Foot said on an average day there were about seven officers on patrol in Dorchester and the villages including community support officers.

He added: "A custody facility in Dorchester would be a huge bonus for us."