LEYLAND'S underworld Mr Bigs have been given a stark warning: We know who you are.

So says Superintendent Stuart Kirby, who has just taken the helm at the new Southern Division police force, which covers South Ribble.

Mr Kirby pledged to tackle the major causes of crime within the area in the most effective way with the resources available.

And that, he says, means targeting the major villains in the area through intelligence-led policing.

And, according to Mr Kirby, by adopting this new approach, local people should be able to feel a lot safer

Mr Kirby said: "We have adopted a new approach which will enable us to focus our resources and give our officers a purpose when they are patrolling the street. Police officers will know who persistent offenders are, what their habits are and where the crime hot spots are.

"I think 80 per cent of crime committed in the area is carried out by as few as 20 per cent of people - we are suffering at the hands of a small minority.

"These persistent offenders cause considerable devastation in a small period of time. Some of them have committed more than 30 offences in the past five weeks.

"These people will be targeted and we will arrest them as soon as we get the chance."

This new approach has already had some success in Penwortham, where criminals from Preston have been crossing the river to commit burglaries.

Information on the incidents was pooled, enabling police to establish who the likely suspects are and set up road checks in Penwortham at the time the robberies had been taking place. The number of burglaries dropped from seven a week to just one. Five arrests were made.

Mr Kirby added: "Hopefully, we can repeat this approach across the division."

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