Thames Valley Police will only get 60 of the 193 Police Community Support Officers it bid for as part of a national £50m package announced by the Government.

Force leaders are disappointed they will only receive about £2.6m of the £9m Home Office grant they wanted.

They have not yet decided how many of the 60 PCSOs - uniformed wardens with limited police powers - will be allocated to Oxfordshire.

More than 200 people applied for the jobs, which were advertised before the force found out how much cash it would get.

Insp Jon Smith, head of the force's PCSO scheme, said: "If we had got the money for 193 wardens, then we were going to allocate 42 to Oxfordshire, but we have got less than a third of what we asked for.

"We should know by the end of the week where we are going to put the new PCSOs. We are disappointed, but it does mean we still have enough PCSOs to make a real difference on the streets.

"We have received more than 200 applications so can take the pick of the bunch, ready for our training courses, scheduled for February, March and April."

He said all the new recruits could be trained within the Thames Valley. He said: "We had contingency plans in place, because if we had 193 new PCSOs, some would have had to train in other force areas and venues other than our training centre."

The Government funding is guaranteed until 2008.

Insp Smith said: "I am hoping funding will continue to come from the Home Office after that. Otherwise they will have to be included in the Thames Valley Police budget, or ask parish and town councils for money.

"That will depend on how many PCSOs we have and where they are." Michael March, co-vice-chairman of Risinghurst and Sandhills Parish Council, which covers areas affected by antisocial behaviour, said: "I think this news is deeply disappointing, given that the Government has been banging on about doing something about antisocial behaviour and low-level crime.

"It seems to run counter to everything they are trying to tell the public they are trying to do."

When the funding was announced, Home Office minister Hazel Blears defended PCSOs, who have been described as "plastic policemen".

She said: "They complement constables by providing highly visible patrols and focusing on low-level crime and nuisance behaviour, which we know reduces fear of crime and improves quality of life in our communities."

Susan Brown, Oxford City Council executive member for crime and community safety, said: "We have bid for 12 PCSOs in the city centre and we want to make sure we get our share."

John Harrow, county council executive member for community safety, said: "We welcome any support we can obtain to deter, monitor and control crime."

Pc Dino Imbimbo, secretary of the Thames Valley Police Federation, said: "We hope no money will be taken from mainstream policing to fund this 'additional luxury service'."

PCSOs can issue fixed penalty tickets for minor antisocial behaviour, and demand the name and address of a person acting in an antisocial manner.

Other PCSO powers include being able to confiscate alcohol and cigarettes from children, stopping vehicles for road checks and entering property to save life and limb.