FLYING SQUAD: Officers at Eastfield Police Station patiently await the arrival of swifts at their new nest sites

The Westway based force is hosting six swift bird boxes and playing the birds' "screaming" calls to encourage the migrants into new luxury homes.

Not far away at the Westway Open Arms Christian charity crisis centre, adjacent to Holy Nativity Church, Eastfield, another six nest boxes have been erected where staff and visitors are looking forward to welcoming swifts.

Swift numbers have at least halved in recent years and one of their greatest problems is a shortage of nest sites.

The birds have shared our buildings for the past 2,000 years or more, but as properties are re-roofed, or sealed-design roofs are installed, the birds find it more difficult to find suitable nesting sites.

Boxes and sound systems, which help alert nest site prospecting birds, have been provided by the Scarborough Swift Group using money donated by the Scarborough Mayoral Fund.

The group has put up 64 boxes across parts of the old Borough area but the birds are sociable nesters preferring their nurseries to be close together and Eastfield turns out to be the swift "des.res" town on the Yorkshire coast.

Swift Group chairman, Rob Stark, said: "We have been surveying swifts for several seasons now and Eastfield is the hub , I reckon half the areas population nests in Eastfield.

"The house building here started in the 1950s and the swifts really relish that style of roof structure.

"It is wonderful to have the boxes at the police station and at Open Arms, both have clear flight paths to the boxes and the public can easily see them and appreciate these fantastic summer visitors."

When looking for box sites Mr Stark had no problem recruiting PC Graham Bilton, wildlife officer and beat manager and his colleague PCSO Anna Wilkinson, to the cause as both are enthusiastic about local wildlife.

"It is fantastic to get the help and support of people like Graham and his colleagues, Bernie Brown centre manager at Westway Open Arms and residents. North Yorkshire Council also came up trumps by lending us Greg Crowther and Luke Wilcock from their tree team along with a raised platform to fix the boxes, " said Mr Stark.

The swift group will be concentrating on surveying the birds as they are now returning from Africa so they will be putting no more boxes up until after the summer.

But all the boxes are volunteer-built so the group do have a few left to sell for a small donation to cover costs and it is also encouraging people to sponsor boxes.

Swifts come to this country to breed and once the fledglings leave the nest they may be on the wing for as long as two to three years when the young return as first time breeders and have to get on their own "housing ladder".

For more information about boxes and box sites, about reporting the location of nests and what to do with grounded swifts, contact Rob Stark via [email protected] or call 07737400962.