Police were out in force in Cabot Circus on Tuesday to give shoppers an insight into their work.

Members of the counter-terrorism team and firearm experts from Avon and Somerset Constabulary were out to meet shoppers along with dog handlers and police horse riders, two police dogs and a police horse.

An armour-plated Land Rover, the police's armed response vehicle, was also on display and the police helicopter performed a flyover.

Inside Cabot Circus, officers from Operation Tonic, the police drink drive campaign, raced shoppers on a giant Scalextric for a donation to charity, and crime reduction and neighbourhood officers handed out glow-in-the-dark wristbands and personal safety alarms.

Assistant chief constable for Bristol, John Long, said: "The majority of people in Bristol don't become a victim of crime and will rarely need to contact the police, and for that we are pleased. They are, however, likely to see our response and neighbourhood officers patrolling their local neighbourhoods.

"In addition to these officers there is a huge amount of policing that goes on behind the scenes in our stations and at headquarters in Portishead to relentlessly keep the public safe.

"This event gave people a chance to meet officers from those more unusual areas and gain a better understanding of the work that we do and how the public can play their part in helping us keep Bristol safe."

The event was carried out under the banner of Operation Relentless which also saw officers take to the streets of South Gloucestershire yesterday to give advice on home safety and crime reduction.

Neighbourhood teams carried out high visibility patrols in Staple Hill High Street and St Mary's Centre in Thornbury. Officers also staffed stalls offering crime prevention advice to shoppers at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway.