LATE night yobbish behaviour has plummetted by 30 per cent in Southend town centre.

The latest figures show reports about night-time antisocial behaviour dropped to 73 in May.

This compares to 105 in the same month last year.

Night-time crime has also dropped by 27 per cent, with 88 offences this year compared to 121 last year.

The figures relate to the hours between 6pm and 6am. Inspector Leigh Norris, who oversees policing in the town centre and seafront areas, said: “We have worked closely with our partners from the Night Time Economy Group to develop new initiatives aimed at targeting crime and anti-social behaviour.

“This has resulted in more robust door supervision including the use of body-worn video, increased use of plastic bottles at some venues, high-visibility policing through Operation Magpie and better housekeeping in terms of how incidents are managed and updated.

“The reduction is particularly encouraging as the period takes into account the busy bankholiday weekends and includes the Southend Airshow and motorcycle shakedown events.”

Simon Ford, Community Safety Manager for Southend Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, added: “This success highlights the importance of having a strong partnership between the police, council and licensees to ensure Southend remains a safe place for residents and visitors to enjoy."