WRITING'S ON THE WALL: Sgt Mark Maxlow and joiner Louis Ford, of Assured Contracts, demonstrate how the Crimestoppers message initiative will work LAUNCH: From left, Sgt Mark Maxlow, crime prevention officer PC Gordon Purves and Phil Billsborough, of Lancashire Crimestoppers administration intelligence unit, admire the results POLICE are hoping criminals will get the blues as a result of their new initiative.

In a project backed by Crimestoppers, Pennine division police are to spray paint messages on windows and doors boarded up following incidents of vandalism and theft appealing for information.

The scheme is also supported by Assured Contracts of Clayton-le-Moors which carries out much of the boarding up work in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, the area covered by the Pennine division.

Police hope that having the freephone Crimestoppers number on blue posters at the scene of crime will help to jog people's memories and ensure they know who to phone if they have seen anyone acting suspiciously.

They are particularly targeting empty properties which thieves raid to steal boilers, gas fires, piping and even stone flagged floors.

Police hope that people who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously or any "strange" vehicle in the area at the time of such incidents will ring in with information. PC Gordon Purves from the crime reduction department said: "Anyone can call Crimestoppers anonymously if they know anything about any crime. Their information could be just the piece of valuable intelligence that the police need to arrest an offender."

Calling Crimestoppers is free on 0800 555111.

It is completely confidential and no-one is asked for their name. Rewards may be available.

Last year Crimestoppers nationally received 6,000 actionable calls from the public with information about burglaries and thefts leading to more than 700 arrests -- one very 12 hours -- around the country.

PC Purves said he hoped as a result of the campaign the number would be up for some local criminals.