PENNINE Division's 18 new Community Beat Officers have hit the streets and residents are being asked to help make them a success.

The Division's Superintendent, Chris Weigh, believes the 18 officers will play a vital role in the policing of local communities.

He said: "The decision to appoint a number of specialist officers was taken as a direct result of feedback taken from local residents.

"I would urge local people to give their officers their full support. That includes working with them to identify problem areas and individuals as well as playing their part in providing solutions to these problems."

They may be new, but these community crimefighters are modelled on the traditional 'beat bobby'.

Most of them were already deployed in their respective areas, but were not known as Community Beat Officers.

"All of the officers will be highly visible and easily accessible to the communities they serve and their names and faces will be well publicised in order to ensure that local residents know who their local officer is.

"They will also be encouraged to attend community meetings and hold regular police surgeries.

"Their job will be to deter criminals, provide reassurance to help people living and working in their area and fight crime in partnership with their local communities.

"They will do this by carrying out good, old-fashioned foot patrol but also by working in partnership with other agencies to solve local problems and tackle criminal activity."

The decision to create the new Community Police Officers was announced at a meeting of the Burnley Task Force earlier in the year. The body set up to examine the causes of the disturbances in the town has heard concerns from the public about the level of visible policing in some parts of Burnley, particularly those worst affected by the riots.

The patrol areas for the new officers will include: Burnley Wood, Trinity, Daneshouse and Stoneyholme, Barclay and Griffin, Stoops and Hargher Clough, Bacup, Whitworth, Haslingden, Rawtenstall, Brierfield East, Brierfield West, Bradley, Whitefield and Colne town centre.