Ref. 24258-83SWINDON'S new police chief has pledged to fight the scourge of thuggish behaviour by getting more bobbies on the beat.

Chief Supt Andy Tatam wants to get officers out from behind their desks and onto the streets so that they can help make areas such as the town centre safe from drunken louts.

Chief Supt Tatam, 38, joined a town centre foot patrol at the weekend, and says action is crucial.

"I want to make smarter use of resources to give officers more time away from their desks," he said.

"However, it is not just about getting more officers on the streets, it's about getting them out at the times they are needed.

"It's easy for people to feel intimidated in the town centre at the weekend.

"However, you have to remember that we have a large number of people coming into the centre, and the vast majority are well-behaved."

He is hoping to repeat the success of initiatives such as Wilt-shire's prisoner handling teams.

"By using civilians to help the police, we have reduced the long periods of time officers spend on custody tasks," he said.

More bobbies will also help reduce the fear of crime in areas hit by anti-social behaviour.

Residents in parts of Penhill, Stratton, West Swindon, Haydon Wick and Highworth have all suffered from problems recently.

He said: "Swindon has a relatively low level of crime, but what affects people's quality of life is anti-social behaviour.

"We have got to make sure we use all the weapons in our armoury, including dispersal orders and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, and also use more informal measures."

Dispersal orders can prevent troublemakers from congregating in large gangs, while ASBOs stop thugs from terrorising their neighbourhood.

He also has drug dealers, car thieves and burglars in his sights.

And he urged Evening Advertiser readers to use the Swindon Drugs Hotline to help officers nail drug pushers.

"Drug addicts are responsible for the vast majority of burglaries and robberies," he said.

"So tackling drugs is a key objective. But we rely on intelligence from the public.

"The hotline is a really effective way of getting information from our communities."

The father-of-two, who is married and lives in Marlborough, has been fighting crime in Wiltshire for his entire 19-year police career.

He took over at the helm in Swindon at the start of the month from Chief Supt Patrick Stayt.

Previously, he served as Wiltshire's Acting Assistant Chief Constable, and was recently Divisional Commander in Salisbury.

Call the Swindon Drugs Hotline on 01793 528800.

Tamash Lal