Home Secretary David Blunkett today ordered new action plans to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Bradford.

Little Horton and Canterbury were today named among the Government's priority areas in tackling crime in embattled areas and restore confidence in the way police deal with ethnic minorities.

It is the first initiative led by the Home Office's Police Standards Unit, with staff already working with senior officers to identify problems in the area. The action plans are expected to be drawn up within a month.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Unit's role in the priority areas is one of assistance and support. It will not engage in operational police matters. It will be working with the force and empowering the force to tackle these problems.

"They will be looking to build partnerships with the local community and engage with the local residents - without their support any effort to tackle crime will be fruitless."

Officers in Bradford will be encouraged to apply for existing crime reduction cash from the Government and elsewhere.

The move, which includes new stop and search guidelines, has been welcomed by some but others believe it will merely increase red tape for officers.

Under the new measures everyone stopped by the police will get a certificate telling them why they were stopped. Officers currently only record the details, including racial origin.

Rashid Awan, a former chairman and committee member of the police's ethnic minority liaison committee, welcomed it as a good initiative.

"We would all like to cut crime, all the community are in favour of that but there is also a lot of responsibility on the police and I am sure they will show resilience and professionalism in maintaining good community relations," he said.

But Councillor Sher Khan (Labour, Little Horton), said he was very worried by the new stop and search plans.

He said: "A lot of youths will think they are being targeted simply because of their colour. Many of them are going to be offended and this could lead to more tensions and problems for Bradford."

Magistrate Bary Malik said: "We are all aware street crime is on the increase and I believe we should give powers to the police as long as they use it fairly, which I am sure they will do."

The move is controversial because it is the first time the Home Office has intervened so directly in local policing. Bristol, London and Rhyl in North Wales are also to be targeted.

The new guidelines for stop and searches - known as Code A of the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act - are based on the most controversial recommendation of the Macpherson Inquiry into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, which ruled the Metropolitan Police was "institutionally racist".

The revised Code is designed to give police confidence to stop people without being accused of racism.

Last year police in England and Wales stopped and searched 853,188 people, according to Home Office figures.

Forces will be told to set up panels of community representatives to scrutinise stop and search records and check blacks and Asians are not being targeted disproportionately.

Some officers may be concerned that the Policing Priority Areas are the Home Secretary's first step towards taking greater control of local policing.