An all-in-one mobile police station, council office and fire safety advice centre is being launched tomorrow to help rural communities.

The new community access office will be based in a fire brigade mobile command centre and will visit villages surrounding Horsham on a rota basis.

The unit will be staffed by police, Horsham District Council and West Sussex Fire Brigade.

It will be launched at Henfield village hall by Hugh Marriage, crime reduction director for the South East.

He said the initiative showed the importance of a proper working relationship with rural communities.

"As a result the partners will quickly become better placed to reduce crime and the fear of crime and improve community safety. It is vital people should be able to talk easily to these services and to be able to hear what they are doing for the community."

Forest Division Supt Jim Dale said it was part of a three-pronged strategy to reduce the fear of crime through increased police visibility. The first was the mountain bike patrol and the second was the police park and walk policy, where patrol car officers were encouraged to talk to residents and shopkeepers.

Horsham District Council cabinet member for finance and community strategy, Coun Vivien Lyth, said: "This is an excellent and innovative example of joined up public services working together and reaching out to people.

"We can now get closer and communicate more easily with the many people living and working in and around our many villages."