POLICING in a crime-hit area of York is set for a shake-up after hundreds of residents packed a police meeting to voice their fears.

Inspector Richard Crinnion, the neighbourhood policing chief for central York, told worried Clifton residents that he wanted to assign a dedicated officer to the area early next year.

He said he hoped a local beat bobby would be backed by more Community Support Officers (CSO) as the number of CSOs increases threefold.

He said: "We have got named officers and what I am trying to do is protect them so that they are in that area and that team. Hopefully, with the increase in CSOs, that team will get built up.

"I hope it will alleviate some of the issues that people brought to the meeting: that they feel they are not getting much police coverage and they do not feel their issues are being answered."

He said the force plans to boost the number of CSOs from 23 to about 68 and he aims to get some of the extra officers earmarked for Clifton.

Insp Crinnion also backed a call by Clifton councillor David Scott to transform part of the disused former Shipton Street School when it is developed into a satellite police base.

The meeting at St Luke's Hall, off Burton Stone Lane, on Tuesday, was called after an epidemic of car crime in the area during which more than 90 cars were vandalised by hooded yobs.

More than 100 residents attended the meeting that came as local residents' associations said North Yorkshire Police's "hands-off" approach to policing was not working.

Barney Skrentny, chairman of Grosvenor Terrace Residents' Association, said crime was still rife in the area and the meeting represented the start of the residents' campaign.

He said the campaign of vandalism continued in the week before the meeting with car wing mirrors smashed, windows broken and doors jemmied.

"It is a daily event. There is nothing unusual about that," he said.

"This is crime city. It is not just 90 car tyres being slashed it is every day."

He said: "As far as I am concerned, this is the beginning of the residents' campaign to get police who are permanently assigned to the area."

Dave Nicholson, chairman of the Joint Committee of Clifton Residents' Associations, said he .

He said: "It will make a huge difference.

"I think every community would like to have their own officer who gets to know them and can police in a more direct way. I was encouraged by that."

Before the meeting, Mr Nicholson had called for Chief Constable Della Cannings to attend and she sent a personal message backing her officers.