Anti-social behaviour remains top of the list of policing priorities, according to West Yorkshire residents.

More than 75 per cent of people who took part in consultations by West Yorkshire Police Authority, which oversees policing on behalf of the public, rated anti-social behaviour as one of their top four crime concerns.

Violent crime, drugs and police response were the next highest priorities, with about 60 per cent of participants rating them in their top four.

As part of its preparation for the next Policing Plan, the Police Authority held public meetings in each district and Authority staff spent time in town centres and the Showcase cinema in Birstall to canvass people about their priorities.

More than 850 people across West Yorkshire took part and those attending the public meetings were given the chance to discuss neighbourhood policing and call handling, and pose questions on various topics to a panel of Police Authority members.

Bradford Councillor Clive Richardson, chairman of the Local Policing and Partnerships Committee, said: "The days spent in shopping centres and the cinema have enabled people who would not normally attend public meetings to have their say, particularly young people and younger adults.

Coun Richardson (Con, Thornton & Allerton) said the results showed that anti-social behaviour, violent crime and drugs were top concerns for people of any age, gender or ethnicity."

Assistant Chief Constable David Crompton, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "Anti social behaviour remains a concern for people and we recognise that. The further development of our Neighbourhood Policing Teams in the New Year will enable us to devote even more time to working with people at a local level, to tackle quality of life issues such as this."