BLACKPOOL'S pioneering Operation Arrival summer crime crackdown has been shortlisted for a regional award.

The police initiative, which cut burglaries and car crime by 40 per cent, is one of five North West schemes shortlisted for the British Crime Prevention and Community Safety Awards.

It's joined on the shortlist by a mobile youth club scheme in Tameside, a Burnley youth shelter, a Chorley community project and a Merseyside scheme to cut crime by putting gates across alleys on housing estates.

Operation Arrival was aimed at tackling the traditional summer upsurge in crime in the resort. The police focused on flooding crime hot-spots with high-profile patrols, putting squads of volunteers in car parks to deter theft and checking repeatedly on known criminals. They also met holiday coaches giving advice to visitors, distributed Blackpool Code of Conduct cards and liaised with pub landlords.

As a result, car crime dropped to nil at Easter in the car parks patrolled by volunteers and, over the summer as a whole, crimes dropped by 18 per cent.

The top project, chosen by organisers Crime Concern, will win £1,000 and a trophy to be presented by the Princess Royal on October 27 in London and will go on to represent the UK for the European awards in December.

Blackpool Chief Inspector Mark Bartlett said: "We're delighted Operation Arrival has been shortlisted. It was a most successful operation to improve safety and reduce crime for visitors and residents alike, and a similar approach is planned for next summer."

Cees Schrauwers, managing director of sponsors CGU Insurance said:

"All those nominated are successfully reducing crime, allaying the fears of the communities in which they operate and, importantly, help build a safer Britain."

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