TRAFFIC police are to be employed in a new drive to reduce street crime.

More than 30 patrol officers in Bolton and Bury will form part of a fast response team dealing with muggings and robberies, as well as dealing with serious road traffic incidents.

Their "swoop cars" will work alongside front line officers in the fight against crime.

An experimental scheme has already taken place in Bolton.

Traffic officers will use their extensive knowledge of the area and ability to negotiate traffic on busy roads to respond to incidents quickly.

The initiative will not mean the end of the work currently carried out to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents.

Anti-speed measures will be targeted at known accident hot spots and locations where speed is known to be a particular problem.

Chief Supt Don Brown, from Bolton Police, said: "Obviously we will not neglect our duties to police Bolton's streets and roads.

"But we want to maximise our operational policing powers and, bearing that in mind, I welcome the scheme."

Altogether more than 200 traffic officers from across the 11 divisions in the Greater Manchester Police force will be used as part of the ongoing Operation Hawk anti-crime drive.

The use of the traffic units marks a new phase in the campaign which has already seen more than 1,000 people charged in relation to street crime offences since April.

Bolton was one of six areas throughout the region to set up special robbery squads earlier this year.