WORK to prevent violence during the Christmas period will be the focus of discussion for a council committee due to meet on Thursday.

The safer and stronger overview and scrutiny committee is to meet at the Civic Offices, in Euclid Street, at 6pm, to explore the contribution Swindon Council makes to tackling violence – both in public and private – in the festive season.

A report to be discussed on the night says the council’s actions have mainly been targeted at the night time economy in the town centre and Old Town, as the night time economy accounts for the majority of violence in public.

The council’s community safety partnership team worked this Christmas with the police, and other partners to help police Swindon’s night time economy.

The team contributed to pay-day weekend night time community safety, providing security for the paramedics, treating people on the community safety bus as well as using it as a lost child centre and taxi advice hub, working with the police to deal with anti-social behaviour, and providing additional high visibility for the public.

In the area of reducing violence in private, the council’s contribution over the mainly focused on reducing domestic abuse by helping victims of repeat attacks.