Blitz areas

Metropolitan Police West Midlands Merseyside Greater Manchester Avon and Somerset South Yorkshire Lancashire Thames Valley Nottinghamshire West Yorkshire

The Robbery Reduction Initiative, to begin next month, aims to bring police and court authorities together to increase detection rates and cut delays after arrests.

Conservative shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin agreed that action was needed in the face of what he called a "crime crisis" but suggested that there were lessons to be learned from New York in tackling it.

Street crime rose by 13% in 2000-01, and has increased at a faster rate since then, despite a general decline in crime overall.

Young targeted

The initiative will mean more officers on the streets and better support for victims and witnesses.

Efforts will initially focus on mugging, but also target illegally-held weapons, street drug-dealing and crack-houses.

Neighbourhood policing focusing much more on the real problems that worry everyday people

David Davis, Conservative Party chairman on their plans

Mr Blunkett said that the 10 police force areas being targeted accounted for 80% of street crime.

He added that particular attention would be focused on 11 to 15-year-olds, who were behind much of the increase in mobile phone related muggings and other crime.

The full details of the planned action will be announced on Wednesday after a round table meeting with all the services involved and headed by Tony Blair, said Mr Blunkett.

'Lending clout'

"We literally must reclaim our streets for the decent law-abiding citizens who want no more than to be able to walk safely, to live peacefully, and to go about their business freely, untroubled by the fear of attack," he said.

"That is why I have asked the prime minister to lend his clout, in drawing together all the resources, the expertise and the initiative of departments of government, relevant agencies, the commitment of the police to help free our streets from robbery and drug-driven violence," said Mr Blunkett.

Met Police have made mugging a top priority

The home secretary, who is facing protest from police officers over his plans to reform their pay and conditions, was keen to stress that the crackdown was not being enforced upon them.

"This is not the government ordering the police and criminal justice system about; we need to work together. Let us not ask 'What are you going to do?', but rather 'What can we do together?'," he said.

He also hinted that he was prepared to compromise with officers over his reform plans to slash their overtime.

Mr Letwin, his Tory shadow, said New York-style neighbourhood policing would put more officers on the street and, using very localised daily crime figures, see rapid action taken to tackle any crime "hotspots" as they arise.

Staffing warning

The Conservatives are also proposing the introduction of a new 999-style phone number for less serious offensives such as graffiti and hooliganism.

Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Glen Smyth said crime blitzes were only one aspect of reducing crime and he warned the government over providing officers for initiatives.

He told BBC News 24: "We can do it in the short term by redirecting resources but how long we can continue to do that remains to be seen. We need the extra police officers that have been promised."

Mr Smyth insisted it was also important that criminals feared the consequences of their crimes because of strong deterrents.