POLICE from across the county descended on Colchester yesterday as officers mounted a special operation targeting town centre troublemakers.

About 30 officers and PCSOs were deployed for a day of action, aimed at reducing antisocial behaviour and shoplifting and hunting down the subjects of outstanding warrants.

A lot of the action was based on intelligence gathered by the town’s neighbourhood policing team.

The team was involved in the operation, along with support group officers, based near Chelmsford, a fire service support unit and officers using an automatic number plate recognition van.

Insp Tony Dale said: “The two main things we are targeting are shoplifting and problem drinkers.”

Police issued several dispersal orders under the Violent Crime Reduction Act. These ban individuals from the town for as long as 48 hours.

Those who regularly get given dispersal orders may then be subject to antisocial behaviour orders.

Sgt Jon Butcher, a member of the town centre neighbourhood policing team, said: “This is a very useful power which helps us to reduce alcohol-related crime in the town.

“It helps us to move away those who are intimidating others, helping us in the short term and also building up more information, if necessary, for the longer term. If we feel their presence is likely to lead to antisocial behaviour or alcohol-related crime, it is right to move them on.”

He said Colchester town centre had about 20 regular problem drinkers, plus another 30 who caused problems less often, but were still known to cause problems for police.

Favourite spots include St Mary’s and St Peter’s churchyards, St Botolph’s Priory and the areas in the middle of St Botolph’s roundabout and near Colchester Cricket Club.

Vagrants often also descend on the town centre itself, upsetting shoppers and committing crime.

Other officers were posted with an automatic number plate recognition van, on the lookout for people from further afield travelling in to commit crimes in Colchester.