Eight of the new police community support officers will be taking part for the first time in an initiative to patrol the public transport network.

Their role is to tackle anti-social behaviour and boost visible policing.

A recent study from the University of Leeds showed that support officers had a positive impact on the community.

Det Ch Supt Grahame Bullock said they gave people an opportunity to highlight issues affecting their lives.

"PCSOs have made an extremely valuable contribution to the areas in which they work to deter potential offenders and reassure the community, and this can only be strengthened by additional officers," he said.

West Yorkshire Police was unable to tell the BBC the amount of Home Office funding received, but the sum is thought to equate to around half the cost of the new PCSOs.