HIT squads will lead the fight against anti-social behaviour in a new approach to tackling one of the main causes of public anxiety.

Teams of officers will be given responsibility for ridding estates of the nuisance caused by large groups of mainly young people who intimidate residents and carry out acts of vandalism and low-level crime.

Proposals put forward by Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price will see the creation of two 20-strong teams of Police and Community Safety Officers (PCSOs), each team supported by five regular officers.

The squads will be deployed across the Cleveland force area, in response to concerns from residents and police intelligence, in what will be the first initiative of its kind in the country.

Mr Price said the plans were put together in response to growing public concern over the issue of anti-social behaviour.

He said: "We have been extremely successful over the past 12 months in lowering crime rates, but the one issue which is raised wherever I go is anti-social behaviour.

"People still don't feel as safe as I want them to feel, because of anti-social behaviour.

"This gives us an opportunity to be able to put a lot more resources in to show the public how seriously we view this matter."

The force has put in a bid to the Home Office for just under £1m to recruit 40 PCSOs, who are allowed to issue fixed-penalty tickets and summonses for offences including criminal damage and littering, and can start the process leading to anti-social behaviour orders, although they do not have police powers of arrest.

If the bid is successful, recruitment will begin after Christmas and the squads will be in place by March.

Mr Price said the force's experience with its existing 80 PCSOs suggests they can be highly effective in dealing with anti-social behaviour.

He said: "They are out on the streets and highly visible, and they can summon colleagues who have full powers should they need to.

"The big issues which come out are minor damage, littering offences and graffiti, which the PCSOs are empowered to deal with.

"This group would enhance our capability to deal with anti-social behaviour, and also make people feel safer by being a visible, reassuring presence, particularly on some of our estates."

The bid for Home Office cash, which will fund the posts for two years, was submitted on Friday and a decision is expected in the next four to six weeks.

Mr Price said the squads could operate in smaller groups or could be deployed en masse, according to the scale of problem.

Ted Cox, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, said a series of public meetings across the force area had pinpointed anti-social behaviour as one of the chief concerns.

He said: "Some people say anti-social behaviour is low-level crime, but it makes people's lives a misery, with wrecked telephone boxes and bus shelters and graffiti on the walls."

Civil rights group Liberty said it supported action to combat anti-social behaviour, but warned against demonising groups of young people who might be doing nothing wrong.

Spokesman Barry Hugill said: "We don't object to the police taking action against anti-social behaviour, and if there is going to be a greater police presence we applaud that. But we have long been worried about criminalising young people who have not done anything wrong.

"Simply being young and standing in a group is not a crime."