UNDERCOVER police officers riding on decoy buses and taxis have been given a special award for their crime fighting scheme.

The Trojan project, which was originally used in Shadsworth and Higher Croft, Blackburn, has been rolled out to 36 different areas across the county.

This week it received Lancashire Constabulary's Problem Oriented Partnership (POP) award for being the county's best initiative for reducing crime.

Sergeant Andy Winter, of the Eastern Division, said: "The scheme began in May 2008, with officers and PCSOs wearing plain clothes and travelling on the buses looking out for people committing anti-social behaviour along the routes.

“There had been problems with children throwing stones at buses and this was one of the things we were looking out for."

Since it began, Operation Trojan has led to 1,565 people being spoken to by police officers, 18 people have been arrested for drugs or weapon related offences; 95 youths have been given referral orders; 33 have been taken home to their parents and over 700 litres of alcohol have been seized from teens.

Bus and taxi runs are often carried out in partnership with Trading Standards, Lancashire County Council's Safer Travel unit and other agencies.

Sgt Winter added: "The initiative is very flexible. Wwe have carried them out with anything from one officer and a PSCO in a taxi to over 20 officers and partnership workers on a bus. We can create bespoke operations to suit the area we are going in to.

"We jobs" target="_blank">work with the community to find out what the specific problems are and then we tailor the operation to fit through a partnership approach. It has proved hugely beneficial to residents in improving their quality of life."

Lancashire Constabulary Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said: “Each and every initiative that was presented represents a significant contribution towards our ambition to consistently be the best police force in the UK.

"And perhaps even more importantly, each one has played an important part in tackling a specific problem in Lancashire – real problems affecting real people in our communities.”