WAR has been declared on criminals and those involved in anti-social behaviour in hotspots across the borough.

Areas that are regularly hit by offenders, particularly burglars, will be targeted by a specialist team of officers responsible for giving crime prevention advice, gathering extra intelligence and arresting the culprits.

The police will also be working closely with the Six Town Housing's Anti-Social Behaviour Team who will enforcing ASBOs and taking other action against council house residents who are not complying with their tenancy agreements.

Chief Superintendent Jeanette McCormick, the new head of Bury Police, vowed: "We will not tolerate any individual who lives in or travels into Bury and thinks they can commit crime. We will use every option available to us to put a stop to their activities and make sure they know they are not welcome in the borough."

Under Operation Manhattan, a ten-strong team of officers will carry out high profile and covert patrols at peak times in areas identified as crime hotspots by their colleagues based in the the Operational Police Unit at the division's headquarters. They will also be backed up by the Mounted Unit, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), Special Constables, and Crime Reduction officers.

Sergeant Bill Mundy is co-ordinating the intelligence-gathering for the initiative.

He said: "Operation Manhattan is about identifying specific residential areas suffering at the hands of criminals and from anti-social behaviour and then flooding the area with extra resources. The officers will patrol the target area for as long as is necessary to eradicate any problems.

"When intelligence shows other parts of the borough are being plagued by criminals, only then will we move operations to that area."

Fishpool is the first area to receive the team's extra attention as a result of an increase in the number of burglaries.

Gaynor Mason, Bury's crime reduction advisor, said: "The more secure we make our homes then the chances of burglary are greatly reduced."