A HI-TECH crime fighting initiative has gained an extra pair of eyes and ears in a police bid to crack down on crime.

The Drop-In-Centre, Newchurch Road, Stacksteads, has received the latest link in a communications system between officers and people on the street.

The special telephone, which incorporates an e-mailing system, has been donated to give residents an opportunity to help fight crime in their neighbourhood.

It is the latest link in the Valley after Rossendale was chosen to pilot the project in partnership with Pennine Police.

As part of the initiative, the Haslingden and Rawtenstall Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators have been provided with special telephone e-mailers so they can communicate more effectively with local police and send and receive information about local crime.

Communities in Haslingden, Rawtenstall, Crawshawbooth, Rising Bridge, Edenfield and parts of Waterfoot now benefit from the system.

Co-ordinators can tell police of anyone they are suspicious of or about any repeated problems and issues of community concern.

And the police can use the link to send messages each week to warn of hotspots and crime trends.

The network also makes it possible to circulate appeals for witnesses, and crime prevention advice.

The e-mailers, which cost around £50 each, have been supplied and installed by local police, who provide Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators with full training.

Insp Richard Clare of Bacup Police said: "This e-mailing system is a brilliant way to keep the police informed about what is going on in different neighbourhoods.

"People in Stacksteads can now get involved with issues in their neighbourhood by reporting them directly to us through the e-mailing facility."

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes have been running the Valley - and elsewhere in Pennine Division - for a number of years.

However, getting timely information to co-ordinators has always hampered the effectiveness of the scheme - until now.

Insp Roger Ravenscroft explained: "Neighbourhood Watch is a fantastic initiative and we are very fortunate in the Valley that we have a very dedicated team of co-ordinators.

"However, while the scheme no doubt helps to prevent crime, it does little to detect it and catch offenders because we can't get information such as crime details and descriptions fast enough to co-ordinators.

"The e-mailers will change all that because we will be able to transmit information almost immediately."

Police plan to e-mail co-ordinators weekly to begin with but once everyone is used to the new system, the frequency can be increased.

Insp Ravenscroft said: "How many e-mails are sent and how often they are sent depends on crime patterns.

" We are very lucky in Rossendale because crime is much lower here than other areas so weekly e-mails will probably be enough to start with.

"However, if we get a spate of vehicle crimes for example, and have a good description of the offender, then we would want to send that information out immediately."

He added: "The great thing about using e-mail is that it is very flexible, timely and cost effective, unlike the other methods we have relied on in the past, namely meetings and newsletters."