A SCHEME which saw a posse of police horses riding onto an estate in a bid to tackle crime has been branded a useless gimmick.

The move, defended by force bosses and Home Secretary Jack Straw, is aimed at tackling crime hotspots and was launched by 13 of Lancashire's 16-strong mounted branch on Blackburn's Fishmoor estate.

But residents and Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe said the exercise was stunt and would do nothing to solve the real problems in the area.

The horses will be used throughout Eastern Division which covers Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, for the next six weeks before being moved across the county during the coming months.

Mounted officers will make bail and curfew checks and were due to move onto other areas in Blackburn, such as Audley and the town centre, as well as Clitheroe, Great Harwood and Accrington later this week.

They will be on patrol this weekend at the Darwen Music Festival, and will be rotated in shifts with a team of eight expected on patrol at any one time.

Children flanked the horses and chatted with the officers on Fishmoor -- which police said would build better relations between them and residents.

But residents said the scheme was a waste of time.

Stuart Dalziel, who lives on Whitehaven Close, said: "It's just a publicity stunt. They will be gone tomorrow and someone will get broken into."

David Panaro, who runs a newsagents on Fishmoor Drive, said: "The main problem around here is kids and the horses just brought more kids out. It was supposed to be high-profile policing but no one knew what was going on, the police never told us."

Kevin Booth, of Highercroft, said: "It's a waste of money. There should be creches and things for mums to help them get jobs, so people don't need to commit crime."

Speaking while on a whistle-stop-tour of Darwen, the Shadow Home Secretary said: "I am all for high profile policing on estates but for four years there has been nothing and then they come up with these ideas two weeks before an election.

"Some people have not seen police in their area for a long time. I would much rather see a couple of police officers in one area all the time rather than 16 at once so residents can get to know them and build up relations."

John Cotton, who is fighting the Blackburn seat for the Conservatives, said: "I immediately thought that they were hiding the fact that the mounted unit has been almost cut by half. There used to be 26 horses, three sergeants and one inspector here in Lancashire but now there are only 16 horses, two sergeants and no inspector.

"I was talking to a man who had his car broken into and had to wait four hours for the police to come. I am sympathetic with them because they do not have the manpower but this is nothing more than a publicity stunt."

Home Secretary and Blackburn Labour candidate Jack Straw said: "I never interfere in operational decisions by the police. Experienced senior officers know more about what works than any politician.

"It makes sense to use police horses in innovative ways. They are high profile -- which is good and deters criminals. They are popular and reassuring to the public."

"They have been used successfully to patrol Manchester City Centre and they were used on Whitebirk elsewhere in Blackburn with success.

"I was at a meeting on the Fishmoor Estate just before the election was called with the police and local residents. There has been a successful initiative to cut high crime rates by tackling known criminals and working with young people, but more needs to be done. There are other dedicated officers on the estate as well as the horses. "

The scheme brought praise from local councillor Ashley Whalley and Higher Croft Tenants and Residents Association.

Chief Inspector Mick Gledhill, the officer in charge of policing in Eastern Division, said: "We will benefit greatly from their presence, both as a public reassurance and confidence exercise and for impacting on crime levels in the targeted areas.

"People get used to seeing police cars and police on the streets -- they will not be used to seeing eight police officers on horses.

"What we want to stress is that this is a force-wide initiative and the decision to come to Blackburn first has been made on the basis of analysis of crime trends.

"Its new and a different approach to policing and we have had a lot of positive feedback from residents but we would welcome any more feedback and if people don't think this is the right way to do it we would welcome their suggestions as to what we should be doing."