A MOBILE police station is to go into Bolton's worst drug hotspots to track down dealers on their doorstep.

Bolton Council and the police have put in an order for the portable station after getting a £42,000 grant from the Home Office.

The station will move to areas identified with the worst drug problems for 12 week periods to encourage tip-offs and help cut Bolton's drug problem.

It is based on an identical scheme in Hull which has seen crime drop by 34 per cent since it started in March 2000 and where 14 drug dealers were arrested in one fortnight alone.

Council officers and Cllr Frank White, executive member for community safety and social inclusion, visited Hull earlier this year to see how the scheme works.

"It has been hugely successful at cutting crime in Hull and we are confident that Bolton will benefit in the same way," he said.

"We will be able to respond to problems and drop the station in hotspots so the team can be in close contact with the community to gain intelligence.

"They will be establishing confidence within the community and will hopefully continue working with police once the station has left."

The police will put together a team of officers to staff the portable station, which will have flexible opening hours to encourage more visitors.

Joining them will be a council-employed research and intelligence analyst and community safety development officer.

Cllr White said: "We get a lot of flavour of the month crimes and if an analyst can identify sequences it will equip the bobby on the beat to predict where crimes will happen.

"The community safety officer will be going out into the community to establish links, which is the whole aim of the scheme."

It is expected that the station will be delivered by the end of the year or start of next year.

Funding is initially for two-and-a-half years but that could be extended if it is a success.