THE disclosure today that more community wardens are training in East Lancashire will be welcomed by most people -- despite the police warning that they are no substitute for officers on the beat.

But while there may be nothing like experienced officers carrying out front-line policing in communities they know and where they are known, the back-up provided by wardens has already been proven to be valuable and worthwhile.

For though these extra patrols are still a new departure in many areas, East Lancashire is well aware of their effectiveness -- as Hyndburn, where the latest are in training, pioneered crime-fighting community wardens seven years ago only to lose them after three years through lack of funding.

But their contribution was most significant, with crime in Accrington town centre being halved and vandalism and graffiti reduced.

It is not surprising that the scheme was held up as a model for other towns or that, even after its regrettable demise in Accrington, councillors in Pendle and Blackburn with Darwen were seeking to copy it.

And among other areas benefiting from this kind of initiative is Burnley where, supported by £500,000 of government funding over six years, parts of the town have been patrolled by eight wardens since last July, putting curbs on anti-social behaviour bolstering community spirit in their areas.

But while the wardens may lack powers of arrest and their duties may be confined to dealing with problems such as litter, dog fouling and nuisance youths, they provide an immediate advantage in freeing-up police resources for the fight against more serious crime.

And given that they become extra eyes and ears for the police in checking on trouble-makers who are subject to anti-social behaviour orders and are being trained to identify drugs and people abusing them, they provide a useful intelligence service for the police and a conduit for residents' concerns.