CONVICTED offenders have been helping police in a crackdown against crime.

Operation Flaunt, now in its third and final week, has seen crime figures in the Pennine Division of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, shattered by 30%.

Offenders who have been given community service orders by the courts have been involved in leaflet campaigns in Burnley town centre car parks.

Under the supervision of the probation service they have also put up high visibility boards warning motorists of vehicle crime in "hot spot" areas.

Insp Richard Morgan said: "It is a nice twist that offenders are now helping us in the fight against crime."

In the two weeks up until Sunday Operation Flaunt has helped to reduce all crime in the division by 30%, down from 1,318 last year to 924. "That means there have been 394 fewer victims of crime in the division this year," said Insp Morgan.

The fight against house burglaries has been even more dramatic, down by 59% from 261 to 107.

Stealing from vehicles is down by 43% and theft of vehicles by 25%.

There have been more than 70 arrests, 29 of them core nominated targets identified from intelligence as committing a high proportion of crime in the area.

An operation during Burnley's home game against Cardiff on Saturday resulted in the arrest of an alleged prolific auto crime offender.

A mobile CCTV van has been in Padiham and Burnley town centres, underwater search teams have helped with searches which resulted in four arrests in Padiham, Nelson and Haslingden and mounted patrols have been busy in Nelson and Burnley.

Road checks have also been carried out in Rossendale on the border with greater Manchester and on the Burnley to Bacup route.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.