A GROUND-breaking crime campaign piloted in Lancashire has come under the spotlight at a major conference.

Problem Oriented Policing, or POP, was introduced last year and changed the way the county's constabulary operates.

The thinking behind the new methods is a return to community policing styles and a concentration on problem solving techniques.

Chief Constable Pauline Clare came under fire from Her Majesty's Inspectors in their annual report for introducing the massive programme of changes to quickly, but the force claims the new style is starting to prove a success.

Officers are given their own area to police and the aim is to look at crime prevention rather than reacting to events once they have happened. A two-day conference taking an in-depth look at the new measures has been held at the force's headquarters in Hutton.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Stephenson got the event under way and speakers from across the country took part.

Michael S Scott, a police chief from Florida and a leading supporter of POP, was a key guest speaker at the conference.

Projects to come under the microscope included operations run in Blackburn and Burnley over the last 12 months.

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Barton, of Lancashire Police, said: "POP is seen as an innovative approach to policing which has led to a re-examination of the way in which we dealt with problems.

"It has led to a partnership approach being adopted with a number of agencies around the country and the early results have been very promising.

"POP initiatives have been proven to work and the purpose of the conference is to share, exchange and take away information on our successes."

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