BOLTON'S police chief has vowed to target five problem areas in the town and could be set to use extra powers to crack down on young thugs who plague local estates.

And two people in the town could soon be served with orders to stop them terrorising their neighbourhoods.

Eighteen months after the new Crime and Disorder Act gave police and local authorities new powers, it has been revealed that complaints of juvenile nuisance around Bolton continue to be a major issue and have risen by two per cent during the past year.

Research has shown that leisure and youth services are not having sufficient impact on the problems of youth crime.

So far Bolton has not used the powerful Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO) under the new Act as council chiefs have preferred using other routes before going to court.

But council officers and police are currently considering two cases where asking the courts for an ASBO may be the only option. Discussions are now taking place with magistrates about the kind of evidence which would be needed to gain an order.

About 100 ASBOs have been used around the country, including one in neighbouring Blackburn.

Chief executive Bernard Knight said: "We would rather avoid taking young people through the judicial process if we can help it. The important thing is to stop the anti-social behaviour."

He said sometimes the threat of an ASBO is enough to alter the behaviour of someone who is causing problems in a neighbourhood.

He added: "ASBOs are useful but they are fairly specialised. They are not the kind of thing that I would envisage we would use very often. We haven't yet come across a case where we have concluded that an ASBO is appropriate."

Research has shown that leisure and youth services are not having sufficient impact on the problems of youth crime and juvenile nuisance. Chief Superintendent Mel Pelham, of Bolton Police, said: "It's more important than ever that parents are involved in preventing bad behaviour by their children.

"We also have the added option of the Anti-Social Behaviour Order for those people who refuse to behave."

The plans to get tough on crime were announced after the first annual audit published by the Bolton Crime and Disorder Partnership.

Ch Supt Pelham said: "The data shows that we still have five crime hot-spot areas similar to a year ago.

"We will work with the agencies in these areas to focus resources on the areas of most need."

The five areas with the highest rates of crime are Deane, Farnworth, Willows and Lever Edge, Halliwell and the Chorley Old Road/Chorley New Road triangle, and the Manchester Road corridor.

In Deane, the crime rate increased from 525 to 643 per thousand households, while the Bolton average has reduced from 365 to 359.

Ch Supt Pelham said: "That doesn't mean to say other areas of town will not receive attention. But those suffering the most should get a higher level of priority.

"Within those areas, the police will be targeting offenders who cause problems in the community day in and day out. We have already had a number of successful arrests and those will continue.

"If people think they can come in and take over the 'business' of drug dealing when someone is arrested they are mistaken."

In addition to the overall crime rate dropping in Bolton, thefts of cars have reduced, domestic burglaries have fallen by 13 per cent and more people are giving vital information to the police on the confidential Crimestoppers phone line.

The partnership has set up confidential lines to report domestic violence and race crimes.