A SHOP-to-shop radio scheme is to be introduced in Bacup, to clamp down on shoplifting and juvenile nuisance.

Police distributed a questionnaire to traders asking them to put in order of priority what they considered to be the major problems in the town. Theft and burglary, criminal damage and juvenile nuisance were top of the list.

The results were collated and presented to a seminar this week held at Bacup Leisure Hall attended by more than 30 shopkeepers.

PC Nick Hodgeson said: "We were very pleased to have 11 traders agreeing to have radios in their shops. These will be linked on a walkie-talkie basis to each other and also to a radio at Bacup police station and the community beat officer.

"The scheme will work on a similar basis to the one in Burnley, allowing traders to keep each other informed about shop lifting, nuisance or damage.

"In Burnley only 12 traders initially took part in the project, but that has now been extended to more than 80. We are hoping the Bacup scheme will also take off and may be extended to more shops and even the market at a later date."

PC Hodgeson described Bacup's shoplifting problem as 'prolific' and said the radios would, hopefully, be an effective crime prevention tool which would stop offences rather than mean more offenders were caught.

All participants will have a large red sticker promoting their involvement with Bacup town centre radio scheme. The radios will be in operation in about three weeks.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.