A VIDEO identification scheme could soon be made available to victims of robbery in East Lancashire to save them the ordeal of facing their attackers in an ID parade.

The scheme named Viper is to be introduced by Lancashire Constabulary as part of the new Robbery Reduction Initiative, announced by Home Secretary David Blunkett.

Lancashire is one of 10 forces from across the country included in the scheme to crack down on violent street crime.

It was scheduled to be launched in July, but soaring robbery rates in the last 12 months has forced the Government to introduce the scheme early.

The video ID system would see clips of possible suspects filed on databank and used if they match the description of a suspected offender. They would then be viewed in a video package by the victim to avoid the need for the more traditional ID parade.

Det Supt Mick Barton said: "This scheme would reduce the trauma for the victim of a robbery in having to face their attacker."

More specialised officers are also to be brought in throughout the county to deal with interviewing victims to robberies to help them deal with trauma of giving vital information in catching assailants.

Crime figures show that Lancashire has only 1.2 per cent of the robberies recorded by the ten forces. The forces have 85 per cent of the country's robberies.

Speaking of Lancashire's inclusion in the scheme, Det Supt Barton said: "We were the tenth of ten forces to be chosen for the initiative and as we are the eighth largest force in the country this was perhaps not too surprising. But we have to place Lancashire's robbery problem in context.

"In one month Lancashire only has around 120 robberies throughout the county. If these figures were the same in Metropolitan areas, police chiefs would be very pleased.

He added: "Most robberies nationwide tend to be where weapons are used and result in serious injury, but this is not the case in Lancashire.

"The most likely victims of robbery here are male teenagers who are often inebriated, with many such incidents at night."

To launch the initiative, Lancashire Constabulary will be focusing initially on two areas in Blackpool and Preston, but is expected to be extend throughout the rest of Lancashire.

Welcoming the promise of extra cash from the Government to fund the initiative Deputy Chief Constable Paul Stephenson said: "We intend to do everything we can to take these offenders of our streets, because what they do affects not only individuals but communities as well."

Det Supt Ian Jones has been appointed to the lead the Constabulary's campaign, but at this stage no details have emerged of the Home Office's funding support.

The nine other forces joining Lancashire in the initiative are The Metropolitan Police, greater Manchester, West Midlands, Thames Valley, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Avon and Somerset, South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

Crime figures for Lancashire last year showed a rise of more than eight per cent on last year.

The figures for 2000/01 showed that 8,800 more crimes were recorded than in the previous year, including a huge leap in the number of violent crimes -- up by 19.4 per cent.

But senior officers blamed the rise on a change in the way crimes are recorded.