The force has announced significant reforms after a year-long review project found the current structure and provision to no longer be viable.

GMP has launched a new neighbourhood policing model which Chief Constable Stephen Watson says "recognises that dedicated named officers are some of the most valuable in communities".

Following a year-long review and public consultation, the force has confirmed plans to post an additional 264 warranted police officers to neighbourhood teams across Greater Manchester.

The number of PCSOs will drop by 333 - from 518 to 215 - to fund the changes, while each council ward will have one named PCSO.

CC Watson said: "The people of Greater Manchester are at the heart of this new neighbourhood policing model, which is reflective of us taking a back-to-basics approach to traditional policing. 

"As highly valued as they are, Police Community Support Officers do not have the powers to deal with those issues and crimes which we know are most concerning those who live and work in Greater Manchester.

"Whilst retaining a minimum of one PCSO in each electoral ward, the number of warranted officers will increase exponentially as we rebalance the teams."

PCSOs will reduce through natural attrition, with no jobs to be lost.

Dubbed the "most significant change to policing in Greater Manchester in a generation" by the region's Mayor Andy Burnham, this overhaul comes after a review revealed a number of issues with the current model.

It found that neighbourhood policing officers were routinely taken away to cover response functions, and that high levels of abstractions meant that PCSOs were often the most visible presence in communities - a problem given their limited powers.

Overall, the review concluded that the blend of officers to PCSOs was not suitable to meet the needs of the public.

CC Watson believes this new model will rectify this.

He said: “35 neighbourhoods will be serviced 24/7 by 89 teams, made up of 1,148 police officers and staff – 80% of whom will have warranted powers.

“As a result, the teams will have more time to spend in neighbourhoods and, benefitting from the continued support of partner agencies and that of specialist teams, they will also have more resources to fight crime and build resilient communities."

These specialist teams will include local Neighbourhood Prevention Hubs and Neighbourhood Crime Teams designed to help officers reduce and investigate crime in a way which secures the best possible outcomes for victims and communities.

The Prevention Hubs will also work with partners to address repeat offending, while the Crime Teams will lead on operations to target offenders who are committing the most common types of crime.

Neighbourhood officers can also now be contacted directly through the new and improved ‘Your Area’ pages on the force’s website and via a brand-new community alerts system called ‘Bee in the Loop’.