Violent crime down by more than 15% in Windsor

The last 12 months (April 2007 to March 2008) have seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime in Windsor.

New figures released by Thames Valley Police show a reduction of more than 15% for Windsor overall, with the town centre down by nearly 10%.  The reduction is a result of excellent partnership working between the Royal Borough's licensing team, Thames Valley Police and Windsor licensees.

Initiatives over the last few months include drugs dog operations, use of an itemiser, an electronic device which detects small amounts of drugs, and more recently use of the Search Arch which detects metal objects such as knives as people pass through it. 

Cllr Jesse Grey, the council's lead member for community safety, said: "These figures clearly demonstrate what effective partnership working can achieve.

"The police operations, backed by the council, have had a significant impact on the reduction in violent crime.  However, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to use all powers available to deal with the offenders.

"I would like to thank the licensees for their continued support.  They played a crucial role in bringing about this dramatic drop, by working with the licensing team and the police to keep known offenders out of their premises."

Acting Supt Jim Templer, commander of Windsor and Maidenhead local police area, said: "These encouraging figures show what can be achieved when communities and partner agencies work together. The figures are a signal that we are making an impact and they will undoubtedly inspire greater efforts in the year ahead.

"I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to these reductions and I hope that the good work will continue over the year ahead."

Gillian Naden, chair of Windsor Pub Watch and manager of Bar Yello, said: "Our members are extremely happy to hear of the significant reduction in violent crime figures in Windsor town centre. The hard work and communication between all partners is producing excellent results. We will continue with our hard work alongside the Royal Borough's licensing team and Thames Valley Police to keep the violent crime figures to a minimum."