BLACKPOOL police are aiming for a massive crime drop of 20 per cent for August - traditionally the highest crime month.

Operation Arrival IV, bringing up to 100 extra officers and volunteers into action throughout this month, has already resulted in a crime cut of 11.5 per cent since August 1 compared with the same time last year.

DI Eddie Thistlethwaite commented: "We have a momentum going and we're really going to push in the next two weeks to hit our target of a 20 per cent decrease for August."

Burglaries in particular were substantially down, he reported - "and this is against a backdrop of sunny weather and an extremely busy town, especially at weekends."

Arrival tactics and those of its concurrent operation, Aslan - cracking down on drunkenness and disorder - have proved so successful they are to be carried on throughout the year, incorporated in everyday policing, said DI Thistlethwaite.

Last weekend (August 14/15) Aslan officers targeted an influx of Stoke FC supporters who headed for Blackpool after their game with Preston, following them in high-visibility yellow jackets using video cameras.

"We learned through intelligence they were here to commit trouble," said PC Sean Sandham. "We made sure they knew we were with them every step of the way and, although there was some trouble, we kept it to a minimum."

Meanwhile, homegrown persistent offenders are also being made aware they are being watched: "We're not harrassing them," said DI Thistlethwaite, "we're saying to them we know they're the ones committing the majority of crimes and we're conducting lawful, ethical disruption of their activities.

"The courts have been very supportive of this.

"We highlight the fact that they're target offenders and if they are released on bail it's under very strict bail conditions, which we make sure they keep to."

So far this month Operation Arrival has netted 115 arrests, 130 searches on suspicion of crime and 163 breathalyser tests in Blackpool and South Fylde - on top of normal police activities.

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