VIOLENT crime in Salisbury is up by 4.1 per cent on last year.

It is believed much of the violence is fuelled by late-night drinking.

Police and the authorities are working on a plan to tackle the increasing number of late night brawls and fights on the city’s streets.

They hope that by working with the local council, Salisbury BID team, licensees and the military they will be able to reduce late night violence.

This will be backed up by the Pub Watch scheme that attempts to increase night-time safety in the city.

Steve Godwin, from Salisbury BID, said: “We are working with a radio system to help coordinate all the pubs, clubs and police at night.

“This means that we know who the troublesome people are and they can be refused entry to bars and clubs once they have caused trouble.

“Another issue is making sure that we disperse people after they leave nightclubs. “There can be 1000 people in the city centre at 3.30am on a Sunday morning so it is about working with taxi companies to make sure people get home as quickly as possible.”

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, believes the police are on top of the issue and the public should not be too worried by the statistics.

He said: “The rationale advanced to me by the constabulary is that part of the rise is due to increased confidence in the police.

“If this is correct I see it as a positive. It means that the public are more confident that the police will act on crimes that they report.

“Another factor advanced is that the police are now recording violent crimes more accurately.”