COCAINE is fuelling night time crime in Colchester, a new report has revealed.

Of those arrested on suspicion of offences in the town centre at night, 60 per cent are testing positive for the illegal class A drug.

Chief Insp Elliott Judge, the district commander for Colchester, revealed the scale of the problem at a public meeting.

Mr Judge said the number of incidents on Friday and Saturday nights were decreasing and he praised licensees for their efforts.

But more than half the problems which still occur involve people indulging in a mix of alcohol and drugs.

Mr Judge said: “We are identifying what causes violence in the night time economy.

“A total of 60 per cent of people arrested in the evenings prove positive for cocaine.

“We need to stop people coming into town with cocaine.

“I lead for the whole of Essex on reducing violence around the night time economy.

“Any ideas or funding comes to Colchester first.

“We are blessed with having the largest number of special constables in the county with 59 and ten are dedicated to policing the night time economy.”

Mr Judge said every time drug detection dogs and kits have been used in the town a number of people are caught with cocaine.

Police and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst said: “People who are taking cocaine are more likely to be the ones that will act out.”

He said the evidence shows the impact the substance is having on “kerfuffles on the streets”.

Pamela Donnelly, chairman of the Safer Colchester Partnership, said there is some good work being done with licensees in Colchester.

And she said the town was “doing very well” in combating difficulties with the night time economy.

However, the meeting also heard violent crime in Colchester generally is rising.

There is a violent crime with injury in Colchester on average about every six hours with more than 1,500 incidents with injury during the past year.

Domestic abuse accounts for about a third of these and many others involve drug and gang crime.

Mr Judge said: “The Met Police seems to have cracked it but what that has effectively done is send those gangs into Essex.

“We do have it in Colchester. It is worse in other areas, particularly in Tendring, but if they are coming to Tendring then we are on the way and with Tendring filling up, they will come here.”

Drugs and gangs also trigger knife crimes. Mr Hirst has launched schemes and initiatives to try to stop young people in particular being recruited into becoming street dealers.

He said: “We are aware of the threat of organised crime. They are preying on the people of Essex.

“We need to make sure they, young people, have something else to do.”

He also believes strategic decisions by the force are starting to help with the problems.

He claimed recent figures, not yet released , concerning homicides and serious injury crimes show a reduction in the past three months.