KENT Chief Constable Michael Fuller has reaffirmed his commitment to tackling public disorder and anti-social behaviour in the county but said it will not happen overnight.

Mr Fuller said that he had already moved 55 officers into community policing roles but it could take another 18 months before his target of 100 was met.

The Chief Constable, who has been in post just seven months, reiterated his commitment to visible community policing in an interview this week.

He said that when he started in January the Kent Police was 70 to 80 officers down on the strength agreed by the Home Office.

However, it had managed to stop the problem of officers leaving the force to join the Metropolitan Police by making payments to officers working close to the Met area.

In addition 40 new probationers had joined Kent Police and a further 85 are due in October. Sixteen officers had also transferred to Kent from other forces.

A recruiting campaign for special constables have recruited 62 men and women and the force had also got 24 new Police and Community Support Officers bringing the total number to 63.

On top of that Kent County Council has agreed to recruit a further 59 community wardens.

Mr Fuller said: "The important thing is we have not only stopped the outflow but we are attracting people into Kent.

He added he was totally committed to putting a large number of policemen back into local communities.

"We need to move to a system of policing where we have officers based in the community, who know the community and are known by the community," he said.

Mr Fuller added the force was looking for officers who were committed to working in the communities they served by making arrests and a difference to quality of life.

"We want people who are proactive and make a difference to quality of life in the area," he said.

However, he added: "What I am not offering is a quick fix. Getting officers out into these communities will be a process that will take about 18 months."