BOBBIES on Cricklade streets will be targeting anti-social behaviour over the next few months following a successful campaign to reduce theft.

PC Lee Kuklinski (corr), community beat manager, told residents and Cricklade Town Council that policing priorities for the next three months had changed after police successfully targeted thefts in the area. He said two people had been arrested for repeated thefts in the town and it was time for Cricklade police officers to change their priorities He said anti-social behaviour was next under the spotlight.

PC Kuklinski said: "Although the problem of anti-social behaviour in Cricklade is only minor we want to try to prevent it before it kick starts.

"Cricklade is a relatively lucky town in terms of problems with this sort of behaviour and we want to keep it that way. The last thing we want is for Cricklade to be blighted with anti-social behaviour so this is a pre-emptive step.

"We have looked at the areas we want to target and hopefully this will be another successful three months for us, focusing on this priority.

"We have already begun working with Westlea Housing to prevent neighbours causing problems on the housing estate there."

He said police would frequently patrol the streets surrounding Cricklade Leisure Centre, on Stones Lane, Saxons Close, Bath Road, local recreation areas and High Street.

Local resident Chris Neville-Jones, who was present at the Cricklade Town Council meeting where the matter was discussed, urged PC Kuklinski to keep an eye on nuisance outside the doctor’s surgery on the High Street which he said had been targeted by vandals recently.