MORE volunteers are being urged to get involved in community clean-up weeks in Southampton to tackle crime.

Home Office minister Baroness Scotland joined Southampton City Council bosses and police to launch a seven-minute promotional video to highlight the successes of the scheme.

It involves teams clearing up rubbish, scrubbing graffiti off walls, cracking down on stolen cars, police executing search warrants and trading standards carrying out test purchasing in a surprise week long blitz.

The council has now carried out 25 of the Crime Reduction and Environment Weeks (CREWs) since they were launched three years ago.

Earlier this year organisers came under criticism when only one person turned up to a meeting to discuss a Millbrook CREW - just days after Southampton was announced as one of the Government's 40 Respect areas.

The council now hopes to inspire more people to take part by showing its promotional DVD in doctors' surgeries and in youth and residents' groups.

Council community safety manager Roger Honey said crime was usually driven down to zero during CREWs with some arrests made in the first days.

The areas then stayed cleaner for longer because of a sense of ownership, he said.