A NIGHT of drink-related crime doesn't mean Stratford's town centre is returning to its violent past, says a senior policeman.

Police arrested seven revellers in the town centre at the weekend for drink-related incidents including drink-driving, being drunk and disorderly and criminal damage. The arrests echo scenes from Stratford's past when rowdy weekend crowds turned places like Greenhill Street and Waterside into no-go areas.

But Inspector Chris Ward says a crackdown on drunken, anti-social behaviour, which has been operating for the past three months, has seen a huge reduction in violent crime.

Police in Stratford were stretched by a series of post-closing time incidents in the early hours of last Sunday morning.

A 17-year-old local youth was arrested and charged with criminal damage after a window at McDonalds in Bridge Street was smashed and two men were taken to the cells on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly after a basket was taken from the front of a bike on Waterside. The men were later cautioned.

Elsewhere, CCTV cameras captured a car being driven erratically down Ely Street and Sheep Street at around 2.45am and a Stratford man was later charged with drink driving and was released on bail.

A group of three men, all in their early 20s, were arrested in Rother Street on suspicion of causing an affray after an argument.

However, they were released without charge.

Insp Ward said the arrests were far from alarming and proved that a higher police presence in the town at weekends and CCTV cameras were proving effective in stamping out drunken violence.

"These arrests came as a result of successful surveillance and by police being in the right place at the right time and they show that pro-active policing is stopping these crimes," he said. "We can't stop violence altogether, that would be impossible, but we are trying to, and optimistic that we can make Stratford town centre a safer place."