CRIME took a dive in Blackpool and Fylde during the Bank Holiday weekend as Operation Arrival made life hard for hooligans.

Senior officers said the operation, aimed at cutting summer season loutishness and theft along the holiday coast, was a great success, with a 25 per cent reduction in reported crimes compared with the same weekend last year.

The operation, launched at Easter and the first of its kind in England and Wales, is being watched closely by other holiday resort forces throughout the country.

It involves putting more police on duty during holiday weekends, with a high-profile presence around pubs, clubs and shopping areas, plus some 50 volunteers patrolling car parks, handing out anti-crime leaflets and deterring crime by keeping a watchful eye on visitors' cars.

The police also crack down on known offenders, keeping them out of circulation on busy weekends. Some 80 arrests were made during the three-day May Day Bank Holiday.

A police spokesman said: "It's fair to say crime has been substantially reduced throughout the division. Our aim is to make both residents and visitors feel safer so they can enjoy themselves without worry."

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