POLICE say Prestwich is no longer a "soft touch" for criminals, after a successful drive to crack down on shoplifting.

Sgt Steve Wightman-Love told tonight's meeting of Prestwich Township Forum that officers had worked with local businesses in the run up to Christmas to tackle the issue.

And the scheme has been praised as a huge success, even stopping one offender who had come from as far away as Accrington to target shops in Prestwich.

Sgt Wightman-Love said: "Just before Christmas we went to speak to retailers about shoplifting and it was evident that it was a problem and that it was on the rise.

"We have so many things to deal with as police. Sometimes it's parking, sometimes it's traffic, sometimes it's hate crime.

"But we are very pleased to say that we have been able to do a lot of work tackling shoplifting in Prestwich and we hope there will be more resources coming to the area to deal with that."

The scheme has involved Prestwich shops communicating with the police and each other via a private WhatsApp group to report crimes.

And Sgt Wightman-Love believes the drive has had a positive impact in deterring criminals and reassuring the local community.

He added: "The Metrolink is a problem because it is a link to all over the area, so criminals have come here from elsewhere thinking that Prestwich is a bit of a soft touch.

"We have even picked up someone who came all the way from Accrington to commit offences in Prestwich. Hopefully he will go back there say that Prestwich is not the place for criminals to go to because the police here are on top of things."

Members of the forum thanked Sgt Wightman-Love for his service to the town, as he prepares to move on to a new role in the force

Cllr Jane Black said: "I want to say a huge thank you for the positive impact Steve and his team have had on the area, particularly with issues like shoplifting in the run up to Christmas.

"I'm sure that great work will continue, but we will miss you an awful lot."