POLICE seized £1,800 in cash from a known criminal during an operation which saw dozens of officers flood Bolton town centre.

Uniformed patrols had been stepped up to tackle street drinkers, truants, thieves and vandals during the day-long crackdown, which police said cut crime by two-thirds.

The man was stopped by officers for a random search and found to have the cash in his pocket with no explanation, so officers confiscated the cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Thursday's event was the latest in a series targeting crooks in six areas of Bolton and police believe they have gathered a wealth of valuable intelligence that they will be able to use to keep the lid on crime in the run-up to Christmas.

A total of three people were arrested - two for theft and one for a public order offence - and a further 24 people had their details taken under "stop and account" powers, where officers ask them to explain their actions or presence in an area.

Meanwhile, a round-up of truants caught 16 children who had skipped school.

Police also held "street surgeries" with shoppers and town centre workers to listen to their concerns about crime.

Police also closed the new skatepark in Dawes Street for an hour while graffiti was cleaned away by council officers and evidence gathered about vandals.

Sgt Chris Walker said: "The most striking result of the operation was that there were only five crimes reported in the town centre all day, compared to 15 the previous Thursday.

"We have also made it clear to criminals that they are not welcome in the town centre and sent a message of reassurance to shoppers and businesses.

"Obviously there was a visible deterrent which we are unable to provide every day but we have gathered intelligence which will be crucial to tackling crime in the long term."

On Thursday, six "blue badge" disabled parking passes were seized as part of ongoing efforts to target rogue drivers who illegally use spaces.

Sgt Walker said that police were continuing to target drivers who illegally used the disabled parking permits of friends or relatives.

In the last week, 16 people have been reported for misuse of blue badges and a further three people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud.