DARING policewoman Angela Hill's daily routine involves smashing down doors, raiding houses for drugs and apprehending suspects.

But it's all in a day's work for WPC Hill who after three and a half years on the beat has just become the first female to join Preston's new Operational Support Unit set up to give more police presence on the streets.

Last week the 23-year-old donned body armour to join her burly male colleagues - with whom she says she gets on like a 'house on fire' - on a series of drug raids as part of Operation Eagle.

WPC Hill said: "I am working in a male dominated field but I already know all the lads in this team. If I didn't it might have been quite intimidating."

She said the unit - the first of three set to hit the town's streets - also controlled public order at weekends, covered football matches and even murders and it was the diversity that appealed to her.

She commented: "The variety made me come into this area of policing. It keeps you motivated and enthusiastic."

In last week's intelligence-led assignment the small specially trained team targeted premises all over Preston to crackdown on street-level drug dealers and users.

During Operation Eagle police arrested 38 people and recovered drugs worth thousands of pounds including ecstasy, amphetamines and cannabis.

The man in charge of the operation Detective Inspector Peter Mason said: "We're very pleased. It had the desired effect of disrupting what the street-level dealers were doing."

And speaking just days after Lancashire Coroners, including Preston's Howard McCann, warned of their fears of a spiralling drug crisis, DI Mason added: "Drugs are a problem, particularly heroin.

"They affect the quality of life for other people because a lot of crime is committed by people who are using drugs."

He encouraged anyone who knows anything about the activities of drug dealers to contact police on 01772-203203 in complete anonymity if they wish.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.