SEVENTEEN new police community support officers are set to hit the streets.

They will work alongside police officers on neighbourhood polic-ing teams in Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Ribble Valley and Great Harwood.

PCSOs, who have limited powers to tackle low-level nuisance and anti-social behaviour, have been on the streets of Lancashire for four years.

There are 75 PCSOS in the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

Some are paid for by the police budget, and others from the government and local councils' budgets.

The latest PCSOs' salar-ies will come from Lancashire Constabul-ary's coffers. Chief Inspector Alice Knowles, responsible for neighbo-urhood policing in the Eastern Division, said: "Since their introduction PCSOs have had a tremendous impact on our local communities.

"The support they give to our neighbourhood policing teams has an extremely positive imp-act on our drive to make our neighbourhoods safer places to live, work and socialise.

"Our PCSOs provide a visible and accessible uniformed presence in the communities of East Lancashire which helps to reassure people."

She urged the public to use their neighbourhood policing teams and added: "Neighbourhood policing is all about working alongside other agencies to ensure neighbo-urhoods remain safe and secure, where people know that the police and partners understand the issues that matter most to them and are able to tackle them together."

She also urged people to attend their local PACT meetings. For details of the times and places of meetings visit www.lanc ashire.police.uk