WEST Yorkshire Police's winter blitz against criminals has so far resulted in nearly 1,000 arrests.

About 70 of these were in Huddersfield.

The third and final phase of the Winter Crime Crackdown is under way this week, targeting travelling criminals and those committing burglaries, robberies and vehicle crime.

Two previous weeks of action have resulted in almost 1,000 arrests, seeing an impact on force burglary figures and a rise in vehicle crime detection rates.

The first week of activity led to a 13% drop in recorded burglaries, with the daily average falling from 90 to 78.

Robberies fell from 11 to nine a day, a drop of 18%. These were the lowest recorded robbery figures since December, 2001.

The second phase resulted in the recovery of 25 stolen cars and saw a 28% rise in the number of offenders in court.

During the week the daily average for vehicle crime detections rose from 14 to 18.

The crime-fighting campaign kicked off last December.

Every police division has taken part, with hundreds of officers contributing to an intense programme of activity.

This week, planned arrests and high- profile policing will be used to find prolific offenders.

Tactics include:

* Specialist teams targeting people suspected of being involved in priority crime, particularly drugs and firearms offences.

* Increased patrols in hot-spot areas to reduce criminal opportunities.

* Working alongside neighbouring forces, the DVLA and the Vehicle Inspectorate as part of an intelligence- led drive against organised crime and car theft.

* Co-ordinated Automatic Number Plate Recognition checkpoints have been placed throughout West Yorkshire and in surrounding counties. ANPRs are roadside computers which show up wanted or untaxed vehicles.

They are being used to identify and arrest offenders travelling around.

Assistant Chief Constable John Sampson said: "The aim of the Winter Crime Crackdown is to support recent reductions in priority crime, especially robbery, burglary and vehicle crime.

"This third phase seeks to maintain that impact. It demonstrates that, while winter may be coming to an end, our pressure on criminals is not," he added.