Alcohol related crime falls in Woking town centre

LATEST crime figures show a continuing fall in the number of violent offences reported in Woking town centre at weekends.

Operation Dogmatic, which aims to address alcohol-fuelled offences, has resulted in violent crime falling by 50 per cent since launching last year, police have said.

Figures released by Surrey Police for the financial year 2011/2012 show a drop in anti-social behaviour of 11.5 per cent and a 50 per cent fall in violent crime, compared with the previous year (2010/2011) which was before the operation was launched.

To date in this financial year to the end of September 2012, there has been a further drop in anti-social behaviour of 21.4 per cent and a further drop in violent crime of 26 per cent.

Borough commander inspector John Davies said: "I think these figures speak for themselves in that they demonstrate there has been a significant drop in the number of offences reported in the town centre and this is an extremely positive outcome as a result of the ongoing Operation Dogmatic."

The operation is part of a joint approach by Surrey Police and Woking Borough Council to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour. Officers have been working closely with licensees, neighbourhood commander Davies said.

He said: "The joined up approach in which the Safer Woking partnership has been working towards this improvement is to be commended and the good working relationship with licensees throughout the town has helped with this improvement."

The new figures follow eight arrests in the town centre during  the first weekend in October. Four people were arrested for Actual Bodily Harm offences, two for possession of Class A drugs and a further two for breaches of an order to leave an area.

During the operation there were five alcohol seizures, two stop and searches and Eight penalty charges issued for parking offences.

Four under-16-year-olds were caught b poise climbing on market stalls and had to be collected by their parents.