VIOLENT crime across the Stratford district - which includes Alcester - has soared to new heights.

The Home Office's annual police statistics for the district showed a huge 27.6 per cent increase with more than 175 more offences in 2002/2003 than the previous year.

Senior officers across the area are now planning more operations to combat town centre violence - particularly at weekends.

Chief Insp Colin Reynolds, Stratford district commander, said his main priority was to tackle violent crime and car crime, as well as to sustain low rates of house burglary.

Police said part of the rise was attributable to the wider recording of incidents to include very minor assaults.

Also in the report was an increase in the number of house burglaries across the district.

The figure on last year showed an upturn of 21 more offences but this still represents just eight break-ins per 1,000 households.

But the burglary rate per thousand households is the lowest in Warwickshire and is well below the national average of 20.2.

Robberies have also reduced by 40 per cent - from April 2002 to March 2003 there were just 27 robberies, compared to 45 in the previous year.

And sex crimes in the district have maintained a low rate, with officers investigating 39 sexual offences in 2002/2003.

Fewer residents had their car stolen in the district in 2002/2003 but there were 103 more incidents where cars or other vehicles were broken into and valuables taken from inside - an increase of 10.6 per cent.