LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- A strike force aimed at combating skid row crimes in Los Angeles will start operation this weekend, authorities confirmed on Saturday.

    The long-promised force will include prosecutors, parole officers, undercover narcotics officers and trash crews, according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

    "This Sunday, we will launch a comprehensive effort in the skid row area of downtown," the mayor said. "We'll be deploying 50 police officers there and ramp up efforts to improving the quality of life in the most impoverished area of our city."

    In addition to battling crimes, the force on skid row will also enlist other agencies for help in evicting nuisance tenants, closing problem liquor outlets, fixing broken street lights and removing graffiti and trash, said Capt. Andrew Smith, commanding officer of Central Division.

    "We are looking at abating several nuisance properties, including some hotels that allow drug dealers and gang members to operate on their premises," he said.

    The move came after Los Angeles slipped from second place to third as the safest place to live among the nation's 10 largest cities, according to the recently-released FBI's 2005 Uniform Crime Report.

    Los Angeles, which has a population of 3.8 million residents, reported 385 crimes per 10,000 people.

    Some 178 gangs from throughout the Los Angeles county have been found selling drugs in the 50-square-block area surrounding the skid row in downtown Los Angeles, according to Capt. Andy Smith of Los Angeles Police Department. Enditem