CHRISTMAS shoppers and festive revellers are to get extra police protection in Bolton town centre.

As part of a special operation, uniformed and undercover officers will crackdown on town centre robbery.

Illegal street traders, bogus charity collectors, beggars and thieves are also being targeted.

Traffic and mounted police will also be on patrol during Operation Amber, launched this week.

The initiative follows recent successes in the annual fight against a seasonal surge in Crime in the run-up to Christmas.

This year, it will be run in conjunction with the force's recently launched fightback against street robbers, Operation Hawk, set up after an injection of Home Office cash.

Supt Don Brown, from Bolton Central police station, warned criminals to steer clear of town centre streets.

He sai: "There will be a mixture of high profile policing and covert operations to ensure people can shop freely without the fear of crime.

"The town is a popular place which attracts people from far and wide and we want to support the public and retailers in ensuring their Christmas is as crime-free as possible."

The new crackdown comes a year after 125 people were arrested in a similar security campaign, which also smashed several teams of professional pickpockets from the region.

Police officers recovered stolen property valued at more than £7,000.

Rob Dyson, security manager for the Bolton Town Centre Company, said: "This sends a clear, strong message to villains that we take crime very seriously."

The police operation was unveiled last night at the same time that people were urged to "shop" a robber.

The Crimestoppers confidential hotline number was projected onto the town hall to encourage shoppers to provide information on street robberies and offenders in the town by calling 0800 555111.

Police bosses in Greater Manchester today unveiled a new terrorism awareness camapign initiative in the city.

A series of eight posters will feature throughout the area urging the public to remain alert to the threat of terrorists at Christmas.

The posters contain images from CCTV footage of suspicious packages.