POLICE have urged York residents to help in the battle against crime in their community, saying teamwork is the key to success.

Senior officers in the area around Nunnery Lane say they are doing well in their fight against antisocial behaviour, and want community groups and residents to join forces to help combat the problems.

As reported in The Press earlier this week, police identified a range of issues following an audit carried out in the area last month, including drug dealing and use in the Lower Priory Street play-park; widespread graffiti; and inadequate street lighting in places.

The issues prompted concern from Keith Chapman, vice-chairman of Nunnery Lane residents' association, but local police today said residents should be no more fearful than those elsewhere in York.

Local sergeant Ann Brannan said: "York in general, and the Micklegate area, is a safe place to live. There are pockets that are difficult, but for the vast majority of residents it's safe and people should be aware of that."

She said her Micklegate patch, which covers the Nunnery Lane area, was now patrolled by eight Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), and the feedback from residents was very positive.

Sgt Brannan added: "It is the first time we have had eight PCSOs working for that community, and they are very passionate about what they do, and they take it personally if things happen in their area."

She said they had done a lot of work to reduce antisocial behaviour, including working with shop-keepers to identify key issues; and working with schools to reduce graffiti, by encouraging pupils to report culprits to Crimestoppers, or asking parents to report children responsible.

Hedges, behind which drug dealers were operating, have also been removed to improve visibility.

Inspector Mark Khan said the neighbourhood police team was committed to working with the community to make their area as safe as possible.

He said: "We are listening, and we are working to understand what the problems are, and along with other partners we are trying to solve those problems. But it takes time, and we do need support and help from the community. We have got to get a good, wide range of views from the community. There are individuals in the community who work extremely hard, and they can support us."

* Keith Chapman is vice-chairman of Nunnery Lane residents' association, not chairman as we stated on Tuesday.