PROSTITUTES and burglars are to be targeted by a police crackdown in Great Lever.

Officers from Bolton's mobile Copshop are moving into the area from Monday and hope the temporary police base will repeat the success of previous deployments which have seen crime slashed by up to one third.

The high-visibility station will be based at the junction of Weston Street and Rishton Lane for the next three months and allow members of the public to contact police face to face and pass on information.

During the 12 weeks the Copshop spent on the Johnson Fold estate at the end of last year, reports of burglary fell by 31 per cent and 20 known offenders were arrested.

Sgt Wayne Readfern said he is hopeful that the Copshop will repeat its previous successes in Great Lever.

"We strive to reduce crime, the fear of crime and increase community cohesion wherever we go," he said.

"For the Great Lever deployment we will respond to crime analysis and look at reducing burglaries in the area.

"We will also respond to the community's requests of addressing prostitution in the area."

The Copshop has been used to tackle prostitution previously when it was based in The Haulgh for three months between October, 2003, and February, 2004.

During that time, a total of 73 arrests were made for prostitution offences and kerb crawling.

Now vice girls and kerb crawlers will be targeted around Lever Street and Bobby Heywood Park over the coming months.

Since the success of the Copshop, which was introduced in 2003, a second mobile police base, Copshop 2, was acquired by police in Bolton to tackle anti-social behaviour and is currently based in Breightmet.

Both Copshops bring extra police resources to the communities where they are based with a sergeant, three constables and six police community support officers working at each of the stations.

They also benefit from a dedicated crime analyst and a community safety development officer.

The telephone number for the Great Lever Copshop is 01204 371770.