A NEW police structure that could see the return of the bobby on the beat will be launched in North Yorkshire today.

Neighbourhood policing teams have been created to cover the whole of the county.

Each team is led by a sergeant and consists of police officers, police community support officers and special constables.

The teams are grouped into 16 neighbourhood policing areas, each under the command of an inspector.

Their main responsibilities will be to provide visible local policing, tackling crime and disorder, reducing anti-social behaviour and working with the community and other bodies to tackle local problems.

Every household in the county will receive a leaflet about their local neighbourhood policing team. Details of the teams are also displayed on the force website.

North Yorkshire Chief Constable Della Cannings said: "There is a strong tradition of local policing in North Yorkshire, which we are building on with this latest initiative.

"We have more police officers and police community support officers than at any time in the force's history. I am determined we will have the right people in the right places in the right numbers to create neighbourhoods that not only are safe, but most importantly feel safe."

The announcement coincides with the launch of the Policing Thrust programme, which sets out the force's main priorities, including reducing overall crime by at least six per cent and violent crime by eight per cent.