Communities will soon be able to call up crime trends affecting their own street at the touch of a button.

West Yorkshire Police is about to set up a dedicated website for the Neighbourhood Watch Association.

It is hoped the site will give the association a 21st Century look and help to shake off its stereotyped image as an organisation of "middle-aged curtain twitchers".

Police estimate there are already about 100,000 Internet users in the Bradford district - a figure set to spiral in the coming years.

The West Yorkshire Police website already carries information on Neighbourhood Watch, but the dedicated site will include crime prevention information, a street map with latest crime trends, and a virtual house where users can pick out security weak spots.

Force Neighbourhood Watch officer Chris Joyce said: "It will be in a simple format so people can print it off or reproduce it on their own newsletters.

"We can use the interactive site to train up local co-ordinators, and it will also be a useful resource for schools and libraries. There is a stereotypical image of Neighbourhood Watch as middle-aged curtain twitchers. This is a way of pushing the organisation forward into the year 2000 and beyond.

"The organisation relies on good communications. The Internet will allow people to keep in touch and up to date."

Cottingley Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator Diane Rhodes says the website will be a useful training tool, particularly for youngsters who will be able to learn about crime prevention at an early age.

"We run a small Neighbour-hood Watch group and don't have too many problems getting up-to-date information from the police.

"But I think the website will be a useful resource for larger groups who want to involve youngsters in their area. I welcome the initiative."

West Yorkshire Chief Constable Graham Moore said the force should support local Neighbourhood Watch groups and sees the Internet as a good starting point.

"Neighbourhood Watch is an excellent resource, ready and waiting to be brought into the process of fighting crime. But we've let things slip in recent years.

"Every library and school across West Yorkshire will be able to tap into the website for a briefing on their locality."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.