A POLICE crack-down on cross-border crooks has already led to the arrest of a man from Rochdale.

Extra border patrols have been introduced on the routes into Manchester and Rochdale and criminals are being warned by Rossendale West Inspector Ewan Cameron: 'We'll be waiting'.

Marked and unmarked police vehicles and stop checks have been introduced to disrupt the activities of criminals who are believed responsible for recent burglaries and car crime.

Rossendale West Inspector Ewan Cameron said: "The Rossendale Valley is on the whole a safe place to live. We don't have high crime levels, but we study the crime we have on a daily basis and when we see blips, as we have noticed this time, we try to act on them.

"We have got extra resources to carry out the extra patrols and last time we did this, after a spate of 15 burglaries in the Edenfield and Ramsbottom areas last May, the crime rate became almost nothing. We also reduced the number of burglaries for the whole year by 25 per cent compared with the previous year."

He added: "We know the routes taken by criminals and we are targeting different roads at different times.

"We are making a determined effort to crack down on the cross border crooks and stop them in their tracks.

"We will be using a number of tactics to do this including high visibility patrolling, plain clothes patrolling and stop checking and we will take immediate action against offenders.

"If residents have information about who may be committing the crimes, they can call Crimestoppers free and in confidence on 0800 555 111."

The man was arrested in connection with two thefts from vehicles in the Edenfield area.