A DETECTIVE in charge of the county's Crimestoppers scheme has returned from a fact-finding visit to the home of freephone crime lines.

DC Charlie Sykes spent five weeks in Texas, where the initiative started 20 years ago and where there are now 250 schemes.

He is now using the information gathered during the trip to improve the Crimestoppers service in Lancashire.

DC Sykes has co-ordinated the local 0800 555111 freephone service, which allows people to give information on crime confidentially and anonymously, for three years.

He said: "Crimestoppers is now an accepted part of crime fighting in the USA. In Texas, it's seen as a tax on crime, with offenders arrested and convicted on the strength of a Crimestoppers call effectively paying part of their fine back to the service."

In Houston, DC Sykes was amazed to find 17 detectives working on Crimestopper leads.

He added: "Texas is seen to be a world leader in the initiative and it was a great experience to see just how far they had developed the idea from its simple beginnings back in 1976."

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