Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn will have a new constable pounding the beat from next month.

And police chiefs have promised increased cover for the three areas when he arrives.

The new officer will be PC Richard Leonard, who is at the moment stationed at Keighley.

PC Leonard will replace PC Monika Nagy, who left last year to join a neighbouring force.

His appointment was revealed by the area's police chief, Insp Paul Spencer, and will be a welcome relief to many in the area.

At the moment, the three villages have only one part-time dedicated officer, PC Alison Smith, as well as back-up cover from Keighley.

But many believe that officers patrolling the streets is the only way to deter crime.

The new officer is expected to begin his patrols of the area from June 5.

Insp Spencer said he would be changing working rotas to ensure there was more cover for Steeton, Eastburn and Silsden provided by the two officers.

"There will also be more evening cover, which I think is crucial," he told members of Silsden Parish Council last Thursday.

"I as much as anybody would like a police officer here all the time.

"At last things are in motion so we're on our way."

The news comes in the wake of figures that revealed that residents in Silsden contribute £170,000 annually towards West Yorkshire Police.

And some householders have criticised the police for the amount of cover the town gets for its money.

During last week's meeting, Insp Spencer agreed to look into a reported incident in which a Silsden man waited more than two-and-a-half hours for police response to a drug-related offence in the town.

The police chief was also told of another incident in which a member of the public had had the telephone put down on him by a police officer.

Insp Spencer reported there had been 30 crimes in Silsden in April.

They included a burglary at an isolated farmhouse and several offences in the Waterside area, for which two men from outside South Craven had been arrested and charged.

"There's not many of the main crimes committed by people who live in the town. They tend to come from away," he said.

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