EXTRA police officers are being drafted in to tackle crime in Bradford.

West Yorkshire Police is switching resources from elsewhere in the county to the district because of an increased need.

The move was welcomed by Bradford bobbies on the beat and councillors yesterday.

The number of officers coming to Bradford is not clear, but is thought to be about the 20 mark.

There are 1,183 officers in the Bradford District division, including police officers, Special Constables and PCSOs.

West Yorkshire Police Deputy Chief Constable John Robins said: “As a police service we must deploy our officers and staff at the right time and in the right place. We therefore need to ensure that the spread of officers and staff across the five districts is appropriate.

"To do this we review all forms of demand on policing services and periodically readjust the officer and staff numbers in the five districts.

"Recently we have made small adjustments to the police officer numbers across the policing districts and this is the right operational thing to do.

"With the backdrop of continued and significant funding challenges across the Police Service, we must realign our existing resources to best reduce crime and the fear of crime across the county.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, said the increase in officers to Bradford would be a gradual process, coming mainly through transfers into the force and potential new recruits.

Mr Burns-Williamson said that what was of greater concern was the loss of nearly 1,000 officers and more than 1,000 staff since 2010.

Councillor Michael Walls (Con, Queensbury), a member of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel welcomed the move to put extra officers into the district.

He said: "We discussed the issue of some districts being more equal than others when it came to numbers of officers, so I applaud any move to bring more staff to Bradford.

"If officers are needed in Bradford, that's where they should be - and they are needed in Bradford at the moment.. It's a great idea and I am delighted to see they are actually doing it."

Nick Smart, West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman, said the principle of moving officers around to meet demand and meet issues was part and parcel of the job.

One rank and file officer in Bradford said extra officers would be welcome.

"It means we can be more pro-active," the officer said.

"It will be a release of pressure. We do need more officers, and I'm sure that's the case everywhere. It will mean we will be able to have more officers walking and driving around the streets, catching burglars, and doing what the public expects us to do."