The six, who are all women, will be based in Carlisle, Workington and Barrow and will work alongside and support the work of police officers.

Cumbria Police say the new team will be a valuable asset to community policing.

But Cumbria's Police Federation says it has reservations about the officers, in particular the risk of them becoming involved in conflict situations.

The PCSOs will wear uniforms, but do not have the power to arrest or detain suspects.

They can issue fixed penalty notices for offences including litter, dog fouling and can confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers and deal with anti-social behaviour.

Sgt Rupert Johnson, who has been involved with the recruitment and training, said: "They will be there working as a visible presence and they will also be working with local partnerships, local agencies within the community, building up community relationships.

Careful monitoring

"They are like the shop window of policing really and they have instant access to police officers and all the services of the police."

The funding for the PCSOs has come from the Home Office.

Cumbria Police Federation chair Jane Goujon said the organisation had concerns.

She said: "There has been a lot of confusion I think about bringing them in.

"We have been told they should not be put into situations of conflict and I think it would be very rare to go to anti-social behaviour and not expect any kind of conflict."

She said the Police Federation had recognised problems in other forces including insufficient vetting and PCSOs exceeding their powers.

She said she welcomed their role in reassuring the public and enhancing secuirty, but said the scheme needed to be monitored carefully to make sure they are not placed in confrontational situations.