LANCASHIRE'S chief constable has spoken about her fight to get things right after her management style was put under an "uncomfortable spotlight" by a highly critical independent report.

But Pauline Clare goes on to reveal in her own annual report that policies put in place to improve the situation won a pat on the back from the same inspection team that revisited the county.

Mrs Clare has also set herself a target to cut all crime by six per cent next year - double the fall achieved last year.

The figures will be officially announced when the chief constable's annual report is unveiled tomorrow at a police authority meeting.

As well as cutting all crime in the county cut by six per cent, the Chief Constable wants to see public nuisance and disorder incidents go down by five per cent.

There will also an increased effort to reduce the number of traffic accidents by five per cent.

Despite an overall fall of three per cent in criminal activity across Lancashire in 1998, Mrs Clare says she is determined to ensure the trend continues. Mrs Clare has acknowledged the force has faced a series of tough challenges this year including the publication of the highly critical report on the management of the force.

She said: "A particular challenge for the chief officer team was to respond promptly and constructively to a tough inspection report which put the force's management style under an uncomfortable spotlight for several months.

"Since then, there has been a lot of hard work done to improve staff consultation and communication, and real progress was acknowledged when the inspectors visited us again."

She says other major challenges included a switch to a new kind of policing policies called Problem Orientated Policing and the launch of Jack Straw's Crime and Disorder Act.

The new law has meant that every division in the country has had to draw up a new policing strategy specifically tailored towards dealing with the problems in each area.

Mrs Clare has also revealed the Stephen Lawrence inquiry and subsequent Macpherson report has had a far reaching impact on her force.

She said: "The inquiry has prompted us all in the police service to take a fresh look at our police service to take a fresh look and procedures to ensure they do not, unwittingly or otherwise, discriminate against people from minority groups."

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