Mayor of Truro, Connie Fozzard, said three extra fully-trained police officers would be better value than Truro's 10 neighbourhood officers.

Devon and Cornwall Police is introducing 56 Home Office-funded community support officers this year following what it called a successful trial in Truro and Honiton, in Devon.

They provide high-visibility street patrols in an attempt to ease public fears about crime.

Yobs fear

They have similar powers of arrest to police and are intended as support officers in lower-level crime matters like truancy and abandoned vehicles.

But Ms Fozzard said the community officers lacked power.

They are not there to deal with public order incidents Chief Inspector Barry Frost

She is also unhappy their patrols end at 2200.

She said: "The yobbos come out at that sort of time and carry on until two or three in the morning and there really should be a greater presence of police officers about."

But Chief Inspector Barry Frost says their role is different from the police.

He said: "They are not specifically to do with public order offences.

"They can deal with certain aspects of anti-social behaviour but the Home Office has said from the outset that are not there to deal with public order incidents.

"They are not equipped for them and it is not fair to put them in those sort of situations."