POLICING in North Yorkshire has moved into a new era with the appointment of 38 community support officers.

They will be deployed across the county and are part of Chief Constable Della Cannings' drive to put more people on the beat.

"They will provide high visibility foot patrols providing reassurance and dealing with the type of nuisance and anti-social behaviour which blights communities and makes people's lives a misery," she said.

"Not only will everyone see the practical benefits from this work, it will also free up valuable time for regular police officers, enabling them to concentrate on other issues and improve the quality of the service we provide."

The support officers are to be deployed across the county with eight based in York, seven in Scarborough, six in Harrogate, five in Selby, four in Skipton, three in Hambleton, three in Ryedale and two in Richmond.

They will be working shifts between 8am and 10pm, seven days a week. The recruits will do three weeks' initial training, a one-week local procedure course and then go out on patrol, accompanied by a tutor, on June 23.

Their powers include the right to issue fixed penalties for dropping litter, dog fouling and riding on the pavement. They also have the authority to request the name and address of anyone acting in an anti-social manner, to deal with people drinking in a designated public area and have the power to confiscate alcohol, cigarettes and tobacco from young people.

They will also have the right to stop vehicles for a road check or to search in accordance with anti-terrorist legislation and the power to direct and control traffic.

They will not have a power of arrest, which is currently available to six selected police forces across the country who have this power as part of a trial scheme.

The Home Office has provided 50 per cent funding for 30 community support officers. The rest has been provided by North Yorkshire police authority.