BUSINESSES and community groups across the Fylde are being urged to team up with the police and take a positive approach to fighting local crime.

The message comes from the county's police force at the launch of a drive to increase membership of the Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC).

Police chiefs hope that businesses will take up the challenge to help make the Fylde a safer place.

And businesses in the area are being pointed towards local schemes backed by the partnership, which has been running since 1992.

LANPAC is helping to fund projects such as the Young Eagles pilot scheme, designed to steer youngsters on Blackpool's Grange Park estate away from a life of crime.

Other initiatives supported by the partnership include a comprehensive property marking scheme in Blackpool to deter burglars, and the establishing of radio networks in St Annes and Poulton to enable shopkeepers to keep each other informed of the activities of thieves.

Insp Jon Donnelly, head of the LANPAC management support team, said: "The Lancashire Partnership Against Crime has a proven track record of making a real difference to the lives of Lancashire's people through its funding of community safety initiatives.

"LANPAC's achievements in the field of crime and nuisance reduction are phenomenal.

"We deal with any sort of crime which affects the public, such as burglary, theft and juvenile nuisance."

Sgt Rick Hoyle of Blackpool police, who is co-ordinating the Grange Park Young Eagles project, said: "This project is all about giving young people an opportunity.

"We want to reduce crime by moving into the intervention field, rather than getting involved with these youngsters through the criminal courts.

"I think that once they realise their potential, they discover that there is a way of developing themselves."

PC Dave Crocombe is involved with the property marking scheme, which will focus on Grange Park and the Claremont Park area.

He said: "In other parts of the country where this scheme has been implemented, property theft has been reduced by up to 80 per cent. "If we get anywhere near that we will be very happy."

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