Many of the problems of the police in keeping the streets as safe as most citizens would like them to be are generally accepted to be the result of a shortage of funding. That problem is being addressed to a degree in West Yorkshire by the employment of more officers paid for by a council-tax increase - although it falls a long way short of the Tories' new pledge to fund 40,000 more bobbies across the country by saving cash through introducing quotas for asylum seekers.

While the West Yorkshire move is welcome, it is unlikely in itself to produce the sort of increase in high-profile policing the public demands. However, the presence on the streets from today of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) - the first 70 of an intended 200 across the county - should help to bridge the gap.

These new recruits, who will be paid less than police officers, will not have the same powers and will not carry some of the equipment members of the regular force take for granted, such as batons, CS spray or handcuffs.

They will not generally be expected to act as the strong arm of the law but they can very usefully serve as its eyes and ears. And by being dressed almost identically to the police, these PCSOs will boost the high-visibility uniformed presence within the district.

However, the West Yorkshire Police Federation has expressed understandable concerns about these new appointments. In the weeks and months ahead the effectiveness and safety of the PCSOs, and their working relationship with regular officers, needs to be monitored very closely and any problems tackled as soon as they are identified.