A DATABASE of UFO sightings by police officers has clocked up more than 200 cases in five years.

Launched by Detective Constable Gary Heseltine, of the British Transport Police (BTP), the unofficial site has seen around 100 officers added each year to date.

Sightings in the News Shopper region include one in Farnborough and one in Gravesend.

In October 1993 PC Tony Francis was called to an address in Gravesend after reports of a UFO from a mother and her son.

The craft was described as changing its shape from that of a bell to an oval with protruding spikes.

According to the DC Heseltine, a seven-page report on the sighting was submitted to the Ministry of Defence, which gave no explanation for the UFO.

Back in April 1978, PC Alan Craggs was called to an address in Farnborough, following an alleged UFO sighting.

According to the site, PC Craggs described it as: "being 20-30 feet above him with wings like fins on a dolphin."

The craft had allegedly been in the sky for close to an hour before the officer arrived.

PC Craggs is reported to have said: "I've been in the Air Force, I know what an aircraft looks like at night."

The site lists a total of 43 new reports of UFOs seen by on-duty police officers across Britain in the past year, with the largest number of sightings taking place in West Yorkshire.

DC Heseltine, who works for the BTP in Leeds, said: "After studying the subject for over thirty years I am totally convinced that a small proportion of UFO sightings are genuine and represent an extraterrestrial presence on the earth.

"I urge any officer out there, whether serving or retired to contact me about their respective UFO experiences.

"Anyone wishing to have their identity witheld can do so safe in the knowledge that I will never release their details unless they specifically allow me to."

To view the site, log on to prufospolicedatabase.co.uk