Residents are being invited to bid for funding and set up their own anti-crime initiatives as part a multi-agency action plan.

Individuals or groups living in the Bradford North area can apply for grants of up to £500 to help improve quality of life and reduce fear of crime in their neighbourhood.

The funding will be handed out under the Bradford North Anti-Crime Partnership Action Plan - a localised version of the district's Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy.

The plan sets out seven key areas for action: domestic and commercial burglary; drugs and drug-related crime; fear of crime; racial crime and harassment; car crime; domestic violence; youth crime and youth victimisation.

More than 50 members of the public attended a launch of the action plan at Bradford's Thornbury Centre yesterday.

Inspector Dave Holdsworth, of Eccleshill Police, told the meeting: "Part of the plan will be to get the residents themselves involved and make small grants available for local anti crime initiatives."

Measures already set out in the Action Plan, which will run until March 2001, include:

lRecruiting a team of volunteers to help raise awareness of car crime by handing out crime prevention advice leaflets to 1,000 motorists during Cop n Shop days.

lThe setting up of a pilot drop-in surgery where residents can report crimes and factors which contribute to crime such as faulty street lighting and neighbour disputes.

lSetting up a task group to develop volunteering, investigate funding, and identify hot spots.

lEstablishing six racial crime reporting centres in the Bradford North area to help double the number of recorded incidents.

Councillor Howard Middleton, chairman of Bradford North Community Area Panel, said: "The draft action plan has been agreed. The next step is to hold a series of focus groups and start putting these measures into action.

"We will be holding a big public meeting in June to see how things are going. We need to make these plans happen and start achieving results."