More than 80 officers will take part in Operation Gryphon which follows months of consultation with residents.

They said abusive behaviour, youth disorder, underage drinking, vandalism and graffiti were the main issues that undermined their quality of life.

Patrols are now being stepped up, particularly in areas where previous incidents have been reported.

'Underage drinking'

Ch Insp Steve Hopkirk said: "We want to encourage people to give us information about anti-social behaviour so we can continue to target our resources accordingly."

He said the community beat managers would be working with partners, including the City of Sunderland and Sunderland Housing Group, to pool resources and intelligence.

Mr Hopkirk added: "Residents often contact the police just because a group of young people are gathered outside their own homes to play football. We need to advise people that this is not disorder but just children playing.

"However, if there are aggravating factors such as damage or underage drinking then this does become an offence and we will deal with it accordingly."