MAJOR reinforcements the battle to beat crime and make Blackpool and Fylde streets safer may be on the way.

Twelve Police Community Support Officers and eight street wardens may soon be appointed in separate initiatives announced by the Home Office and Blackpool Town Hall.

Lancashire is one of the first forces in the UK to employ the support officers who will have a limited range of powers to support regular police officers. Seventy-two new recruits will be taken on and, although the locations have yet to be confirmed, it is hoped that 12 will be operating in the Fylde area.

"Working alongside police officers, support staff, special constables and traffic wardens they will deliver a local policing service. Their role will be largely aimed at developing a more community-based problem-solving approach to resolving local issues," says the Home Office. Advertisements for the £12-14,000 vacancies are starting immediately.

"The officers will address many of the tasks that do not require the experience or powers held by police officers, but which often take officers away from more urgent duties."

The support officers will tackle local anti-social behaviour and issues affecting the quality of life. They will also provide crime prevention advice, deter juvenile nuisance and visit victims of crime.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: "We hope to have twelve officers operating in the Western Division in the New Year."

In the meantime, Blackpool Council is set to apply for up to £450,000 in government cash to fund eight street crime wardens for the next three years.

If approved, the wardens will be deployed in areas identified by police records as being crime hotspots.

The area earmarked is the town centre bounded by Talbot Road and New Bonny Street and stretches from the Promenade to Cookson Street.

It is planned that the wardens, who could be on the streets as soon as November, will be based at the Talbot Road bus station and car park. They will work between 2pm and 10pm throughout the week in order to target the worst times for crime to be committed.

"We shall be co-ordinating the deployment of support officers with Blackpool Council," added the police spokesman.

Latest crime figures show that although the county is split into six operating divisions, more than half of all street crime takes place in Blackpool and Preston.