POLICE in Whitefield and Unsworth have vowed to crack down on anti-social behaviour and petty crime in a bid to reassure residents that they are living in a safe community.

They will spend more time targeting low-level crimes such as vandalism and graffiti, and monitoring gangs of youths causing disturbances and congregating in public areas to drink.

The move is part of a long-term borough-wide police initiative to tackle the issues which blight the lives of residents on a daily basis.

Inspector David Jones announced the plan at Whitefield and Unsworth Area Board and asked residents to support the scheme by contacting police to report anti-social behaviour.

He said police resources were limited, and that help was needed from residents if the problems were to be confronted while more established crimes such as robberies and burglaries were also being tackled.

Insp Jones announced the expansion of a local community safety partnership, which could eventually include the area board, housing and youth associations and tenants and residents homewatch groups.

He said: "This is in the very early stages, but I want anybody and everybody who has an opinion on crime and disorder and how it should be fixed to let me know. We need your help."

But some homeowners at the meeting said that a long-term plan was not the answer, and that problems needed to be dealt with immediately.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said that in recent weeks his car had been attacked and damaged by gangs of youths and windows on his street had been smashed.

He said he was "thoroughly exhausted"by the actions of these gangs, adding: "I feel very insecure even in the boundaries of my own home."

Insp Jones said that figures for crime such as burglary, car crime and wounding had plummeted in Bury in recent years, but homeowners agreed with the resident when he said: "Where is this happening? Because crime figures certainly are not going down where I live. We want to feel safe now.

"I pay my taxes and I'm thoroughly upset by it all. It has never been so bad where we live. There are gangs of youth everywhere at the weekend."

Insp Jones said that officers cannot "spend every Friday night chasing gangs of youths around the borough,"as many are not breaking the law, and that any reported incidents would be investigated and dealt with.

He urged people to report any anti-social behaviour immediately and contact police in the area with their concerns on 0161 872 5050.