CLEVELAND Police is to receive extra help with the arrival on the streets of additional community officers.

Twenty-two newly trained civilian Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) will go on patrol from Monday.

Cleveland Police said they would tackle anti-social behaviour, drunkenness and low-level offending by providing a highly visible uniformed presence across Teesside.

The officers have the power to demand the name and address of individuals involved in anti-social behaviour, confiscate alcohol from young people, issue warnings and remove abandoned vehicles.

Forty PCSOs took to the streets of Teesside for the first time earlier this year, following funding from the Home Office.

During 12,000 hours of foot patrols, they have made 383 seizures of booze and assisted in the removal of 60 abandoned vehicles.

The reinforcements were welcomed by Cleveland Police.

Acting Assistant Chief Constable John Burke said: "The introduction of PCSOs in Cleveland has been very positive.

"They provide a high visible presence on the streets, challenging many quality of life issues, and offer reassurance to the public.''

Councillor Ken Walker, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, said: "I am delighted that in the near future we will have even more Community Support Officers working with local people on improving their quality of life and dealing with the kind of issues which cause them such concern.

"As an authority, we have been at the forefront of developing this initiative and I know that it is making a real impact, both in deterring crime and anti-social behaviour and increasing public confidence."

More PCSOs are to undergo training and Coun Walker said: "Our commitment to recruiting as many community support officers as possible is underlined by the fact that, although some funding is coming from the Government, the authority itself has made available three quarters of the money needed to double the numbers from 40 to 80 in the current financial year.''

Cleveland was one of 26 forces nationally to receive funding for the officers, when the civilian police, who only have the power of citizen's arrest, were introduced.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said they freed up time for operational officers to tackle crime.