A TOWN centre shoplifting blitz slashed thefts in Blackburn stores by 31%.

Out-of-town gangs, who stole a quarter of a million pounds-worth of property a year, were sent packing, thanks to tough measures by store managers and Blackburn police. Police and the Blackburn Anti-Theft Group hoped to follow up with Business Watch, a network of alarm links between stores to combat shoplifters.

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