POLICE are no longer stationed in Bolton town centre on Friday nights "just in case something happens" after a unit was axed in a shake-up.

The move will leave the town centre with no dedicated police presence on Fridays. Instead it will be covered by a borough-wide response unit that will deal with any breaking incidents.

Police chiefs say the decision to withdraw the unit, usually based in a van in Nelson Square, was made after a recent drop in crime.

Ch Supt Shaun Donnellan, Bolton's most senior officer, said he was comfortable that anyone who needs help on Friday nights will still get it.

He added that the days of police being stationed on street corners "just in case" something happened were long gone.

The team that has now been removed from the Friday night duty was working under Operation BAND — Bolton Against Night-time Disorder.

BAND will continue, however, and a unit will stay in the town centre on Saturday nights, when police say they are busier.

The changes to Friday night policing took effect on June 1.

There has been no change to the number of officers on duty on Fridays, but they are now available to respond to incidents across the borough instead of concentrating solely on the town centre.

Ch Supt Donnellan said: "The need for officers in the town centre on Fridays is just not there.

"The demand in terms of incidents reported to us on Friday night has dropped below the point where we need a dedicated patrol.

"We even had some feedback which told us that the response was heavy-handed and it would put people off coming to Bolton.

"I am totally comfortable that anybody who needs help on Friday nights will get it.

"We have got CCTV which can spot trouble starting, so we can probably be there before anybody can put a call in to us."

The Bolton News reported in December how a group of police, licensees and council officers that was formed to deal with disorder in the town centre had succeeded in slashing crime.

Only seven officers were commonly deployed on Friday and Saturday nights, compared to up to 24 officers being needed in 2013, according to then Ch Insp Mark Bell.

Ch Supt Donnellan added: "In terms of anybody who may be encouraged to commit crime, I would say we will be there very quickly if you do anything wrong.

"In this day and age we cannot sustain people to be there just in case.

"We have got a far stronger handle on the town centre on Saturday nights than we have ever had.

"We can only react to what we know about, and if there is a need for us to be out on Friday nights we will be there in whatever numbers are required.

"The days of having cops on street corners just in case are gone."

At a meeting last week, some of Bolton's licensees voiced concerns that the withdrawal could reduce the deterrent against crime.

Simon Harrington, landlord of The Dragonfly pub in Nelson Square, said he would like some police to be retained, but could understand why the police are making cutbacks.

He said: "I completely support the police in reducing the number of officers as the town is dead on Friday nights.

"There are not the numbers of people out in Bolton that there used to be.

"As long as they can respond quickly, then there is no problem.

"Our problem is more attracting the right type of people to come to Bolton to drink in the first place."