Cross Hills' Police Community Support Officer Jason Perkins has only been in his role for seven months and he's already worn out his first pair of boots.

It's not surprising, as he aims to walk the streets of South Craven and Grassington, which he is also covering at present, for seven hours per shift.

"We want to be out as often as we can, that is where our job lies," he explained.

Mr Perkins and his Craven counterparts were introduced as part of the Government-spearheaded neighbourhood policing teams, which comprise police officers, PCSOs and special constables.

Mr Perkins was one of two new PCSOs to be introduced as part of the initiative to engage with the community and improve quality of life, including combating anti-social behaviour.

There are six PCSOs covering Craven altogether, including four in Skipton and another who works in Settle and Ingleton.

Mr Perkins, a dad-of-two, admits dealing with anti-social behaviour is his main remit. With regards to his South Craven patch, the main areas of concern are Cross Hills and Sutton.

He said: "There's an anti-social problem everywhere, but people have their own ideas of what the problems are. If people see kids sitting on a bench they think they are up to no good.

"There are some drugs and drinking, but the majority of kids are just being kids."

Mr Perkins, who has experience working with youngsters including working for Bradford Council's ranger service, believes children do have things to do in the area, despite views to the contrary.

But he says youngsters expect to have activities on their doorstep and sometimes it takes effort from them or their parents to get involved. One example of this is a bus which takes youngsters from Cowling to South Craven Youth Centre, based at South Craven School, Cross Hills, on Monday evenings.

Mr Perkins said it was important for residents to report any anti-social behaviour to help police build up a picture of what trouble-makers are doing and where they are going.

"Part of the job is to get people to tell us what their problems are," he said.

Mr Perkins believes anti-social behaviour in Cross Hills is minor, considering the 1,700 students who attend South Craven School: "It's just a small percentage that get into trouble."

He feels PCSOs have the right balance of powers allocated to them, including issuing fixed penalty notices, stopping vehicles for testing and confiscating alcohol and tobacco.

But he admits his new role has not resulted in a burning desire to become a police officer: "For me, being a PCSO is what I wanted to do. Being a police officer doesn't fit into my life, I am happy as I am."

All in all, Mr Perkins believes he is making progress and is content to stay at Cross Hills until his contract runs out in 2007 and beyond.

"I like it down here. There are different issues here than in Skipton town centre. PCSOs in Skipton deal with other issues, including pickpockets in shops. Here, it is more residential."

Mr Perkins can be contacted on 0845 60 60 24 7, extension 3786, alternatively, his email address is jason.perkins@northyorkshire. pnn.police.uk