An extra 72 community support officers will work in the counties

The three counties will receive 72 CSOs to help police deal with problems like anti-social behaviour.

The new recruits are some of nearly 1600 new CSOs across the country, after an extra �50m of funding was announced by the Home Secretary.

The increase takes the number of CSOs from 120 to 192 across the region.

The Home Office is to fully-fund the CSOs for the first year, before reducing it to 75% in 2006/7.

'Highly visible'

Home Office minister Hazel Blears said appointments recognised the value of community support.

"Our police reform white paper, published earlier this month, places highly visible, accessible and accountable neighbourhood policing at the very heart of out programme to modernise the police," she said.

The CSOs come as 50 more areas in the UK have been designated as Together Action Areas - neighbourhoods where the police take action with local agencies over anti-social behaviour.

The Hastings district of Ore was recently named as one of the 50 areas.

The CSOs will focus on low-level crime such as vandalism, nuisance neighbours, graffiti and rubbish-dumping.