Suspected villains, drunken louts and teenage yobs face being caught on camera thanks to a hi-tech move by York Police.

Police community safety officers (PCSOs) have been armed with six digital hand-held camcorders and specialist equipment to help them create still images and permanent video records. The technology, paid for with a £10,000 grant from City of York Council and announced by Home Secretary David Blunkett during a visit to York last year, has come into use this week.

The number of PCSOs working the York beat has grown to 13, with the appointment of five more of them over the past few months.

The officers, who are regularly seen on patrol in the city centre and notorious trouble spots, are able to issue fines for public nuisance, dog fouling and litter and confiscate alcohol from under-age drinkers.

Acting Sergeant Rick Ball, of York Police, said all the officers had received extra training on using the cameras, which he believed would provide a valuable weapon in the force's crime-fighting armoury.

He said: "The primary role of the police community support officers is to provide high-visibility patrols, and the purpose of the camcorders is to enable them to be more effective.

"When they come across instances of antisocial behaviour they will all be able to record it as evidence and take appropriate action against individuals when we identify them."

Community support officer Lesley Perkins said: "When we are on patrol and we see these types of behaviour going on we want to be able to deal with it - with these cameras we can."

Steve Galloway, City of York Council leader, said: "We often get complaints from people that lack of evidence hampers a successful prosecution.

"We want to use better technology to ensure that criminals are caught and dealt with effectively by the courts."

Updated: 10:46 Wednesday, February 04, 2004