MOUNTED police are patrolling the streets of Accrington as part of a Christmas crime crackdown.

In addition to the mounted patrols, officers have secured a mobile police station for the town centre - the only one of its kind in the county.

Sgt Ian Corbett said the special mobile police station and additional mounted officers would help fight crime in the run-up to Christmas.

The measures form part of this year's Operation Elves, which will see a high police presence in the town centre.

Sgt Corbett said: "The mobile police station will be in Accrington in the lead up to Christmas, and will be a place where shoppers can come and meet police officers and talk about any concerns."

The operation was first used in the town in the run up to Christmas in 2004 and contributed to an 18 per cent reduction in crime on the previous year. Last year the number of crimes fell again, this time by 25 per cent.

Sgt Corbett said the mobile unit and high-visibility policing in the town centre had particularly reduced the number of petty crimes, such as shoplifting and theft from shoppers.

He added: "The operation aims to make shoppers feel safe when they come to town.

"The mounted officers will be used for crime prevention but also in a pro-active way to target offenders and react to incidents."

He said that officers based at the mobile police station would hand out purse and handbag alarms. Local firefighters will also use the facility to meet shoppers.

Police are also running a high-visibilty crackdown on night-time crime in Hyndburn's town centres. Operation Shepherd targets violent crime in pubs and clubs.

The have handed out metal detectors to doorstaff at several nightspots in a bid to tackle knife crime and officers will visit licensed premises in the run-up to Christmas and New Year.