A UNITED front against drugs and crime and a raft of ways to tackle them -- that was the focus of Blackpool's first ever Community Safety Partnership conference.

The one-day event brought together more than 30 community-minded organisations to discuss how to unite against crime.

Solutions included more CCTV cameras, domestic violence education in schools, gates across "trouble-spot" alleyways and a new partnership between hospital staff and police.

Car crime and youth nuisance were also on the agenda at the conference, which also included afternoon meetings for delegates to discuss the partnership's plans for the next three years.

Paul Lucas, property services manager at Blackpool Borough Council, told delegates that two more cameras were due next month in the Central Drive area, following the successful installation of more than 40 cameras since 1996.

He highlighted the £250,000 a year running costs, but said the cameras played a vital part in the safety partnership.

PC Helen Greaves, domestic violence officer at Blackpool Police station, said a new in-schools initiative -- thought to involve children designing leaflets -- was under discussion.

"The forum feels that there is a need to educate children of junior and secondary school age on domestic violence and its effect in relationships.

"We know that in other parts of the country it has proved to be successful and it is something that we wanted to bring to Blackpool," she said.

Plans for a new scheme, known as Alleygating, were also announced. Under the scheme, trouble-spot alleyways are identified and then gated off -- effectively putting them out of bounds to would-be criminals.

And a separate scheme was announced by Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E consultant Mark Sedgwick. "We are going to look at all the assaults that turn up from the town centre in the A&E department. Due to a change in the law, we will be able to provide information to the police which will allow the police to target trouble spots in the town centre more effectively.

"The second area of our project is that we wish to assist the victims of these assaults in accessing the criminal justice system," he added.

Paulo Pertica, the Blackpool drug action co-ordinator, also talked to delegates about the work of the Blackpool Drug Action Team, including trying to get more of the town's doctors involved with treatment for drug users.

"In Blackpool today there are very few GPs who are willing to take part in shared care," he said. "If we want to make an impact in reducing the crime in Blackpool we need to develop treatment.