COMMUNITY beat officers will set up shop among the pick 'n' mix when they hold a special surgery in the Burnley branch of one of Britain's best-known High Street chains.

Visitors to the town's Woolworths store in St James Street can take advantage of the unusual "cop shop" when officers attend the temporary police surgery to be held on Wednesday, January 23.

The event has been organised as part of a push to improve community policing in the town.

Beat bobbies will be in the store between 10am and noon to discuss shoppers' views about local policing and offer crime prevention advice.

PC Tracy Edmondson and her colleagues will also be security coding mobile phones free of charge.

She said: "We wanted to hold the surgery because we are keen to gauge public opinion on our work in and around the town centre.

"We're also keen to hear what sort of worries and concerns local people have about policing so that we can start helping to tackle them."

She added: "We're keen to reduce crime which is why we are offering crime prevention advice to shoppers and offering to postcode mobile phones free of charge during the surgery."

PC Edmondson's colleague on the town centre community beat PC Keith Hargreaves added: "I would urge people to come and see us even if it is only to say hello and to find out how to contact us in the future."