THE friends and family of car criminals can expect a knock on the door as police in Darwen aim to keep crime figures down.

Vehicle crime has fallen year on year and has dropped by 75 per cent in the past decade, but police say offenders still operating in the town can expect ‘significant intrusion’.

That means officers visiting their home several times a day and building a picture of their habits and places they go.

Sergeant for Darwen, Tim McDermott, said: “It’s about focusing our resources on those offenders who are having the biggest impact on the community they live or offend in.

“Being a target also leads to us sharing any information we are able to with other agencies such as the probation service, the benefits agency and the local council.

In short, if you're committing crime in this area we do everything we can to make life uncomfortable for you.”

There were 201 vehicle crimes in Darwen in 2009-2010, down from 246 the previous year.

Sgt McDermott said the main issue is people leaving cars open in car parks, streets and on drives, and leaving valuables on show.

He assured residents that they have ‘specific targets’ but asked for ‘vigilance and co-operation’ as three quarters of thefts from vehicles in August were down to unlocked cars, with criminals looking for ‘easy targets’.