PREVENTION and education will be the main tools employed by Craven's new anti-social behaviour co-ordinator.

Although crime stands at a low level in the district, pockets of unacceptable behaviour are springing up.

And it will be the job of Stacey Mitchell to work with local agencies, including the police and housing associations, to ensure that the necessary action is taken.

Over the last few years the word "anti-social behaviour" has become increasingly familiar.

This week the Government announced a five-year plan to target serious offenders and also those creating a nuisance in the community.

Miss Mitchell's post is funded by the Home Office as the Government now requires every crime reduction partnership to appoint an anti-social co-ordinator.

Anti-social behaviour comes in many different forms - even something as seemingly trivial as kicking a football against a garage door constitutes an unacceptable act if it adversely affects someone else.

Miss Mitchell explained that some of Craven's issues included street drinking, vehicle-related nuisance, noise, rowdy behaviour, urinating in public, graffiti and litter.

She said a lot of her future work would be based around prevention and education.

She explained: "You ask young kids what they see anti-social behaviour as and they are not necessarily going to know.

"Say for example, knocking on somebody's door and running away, loud music, shouting and swearing - they might not see that as anti-social, but it is to someone who's living down the street from where it's happening.

"If you talk to the environmental health department, people are not sleeping and it can have quite a detrimental affect on someone's quality of life."

Skipton, as the largest and most populated town in Craven, has the biggest problem with anti-social behaviour.

However Miss Mitchell said people's perceptions that it was always youths causing the problems was not always correct.

When cases of anti-social behaviour get out of hand and warnings are repeatedly ignored, action can be taken. Two of the avenues that can be explored are applying for an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) or encouraging perpetrators to sign up to an acceptable behaviour contract (ABC).