POLICE today welcomed a drop in street crime in Lancashire after it became one of ten problem areas targeted by the Government.

But the announcement has split some East Lancashire MPs, with Tory Nigel Evans refusing to believe the figures and Labour Peter Pike welcoming the reduction.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said that the reduction was due to the Government drive in ten police force areas with the highest street crime rates.

The Street Crime Initiative was launched in March this year and the number of robberies and snatch thefts in Lancashire had dropped 20 per cent from 158 in April to 126 in September. This compares with an overall reduction across the ten force areas of 16 per cent. But over the six month period since the drive started, the figures have fluctuated.

In April there were 158 robberies and snatch thefts on the streets of Lancashire. In May it rose to 171, in June it dropped to 123, rising to 137 in July. In August the figure peaked again at 171 before dropping to September's 126.

In the six months including March 2002 the figure for robberies and snatch thefts was 802 but in the six months from April to September it fell to 728, a drop of 74 or 9.2 per cent.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Barton, of Lancashire police, said since April there had been an 11 per cent overall drop in street crime which showed signs of continuing. Part of the force's strategy, he said, was to target drug dealing which was the root cause of most robberies in the county.

Ribble Valley MP Mr Evans said: "I simply don't believe the figures. These have been cooked up to try to vindicate the Prime Minister claim that the government could cut street crime. I am sure that has been achieved by massaging the figures or leaving some crimes out."

But Mr Pike said: "This is good news. I was briefed on this by Lancashire police and the drive to cut street crime is working."