A MAJOR review is being carried out into town centre policing so officers do not spend as much time dealing with violent drunks.

Recent analysis of violent incidents across Cheshire revealed that three out of 10 hotspots were within close proximity to licensed premises in Warrington town centre.

Police are trying to make bar owners take more responsibility for defusing and containing potential violence from rowdy clubbers before police get involved.

Officers are studying the dynamics of the town centre: the location of taxi ranks, how people get home, the effect of take aways, and more.

They are looking at the CitySafe initiative in Manchester that has cut alcohol-related crime and disorder since it was introduced in 2000 and that has been adopted in some way by around 50 towns and cities.

The review is focused on what Cheshire Police call the Northern Area' - Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn.

Chf Insp Chris Clarke said: "We want officers to be more effective by providing a reassuring presence instead of spending their time dealing with drunken brawls.

"To achieve this we need licensees to work with us by refusing to serve drunken people and removing drunken people from their premises to prevent trouble in the first place."

The police have had extra officers in the town centre since 2004 and bar owners think violence has declined since then.

The extra officers and the extended licensing hours introduced last year put a strain on police resources.

Paul Draycott, the police's licensing officer, told the recent Panama Jacks licensing hearing: "We can't continue to provide this level of service to such a small part of the town's community.

"The police view is that premises can and must be managed in such a way that they do not draw on the police."

Insp Alex Kane, the head of town centre policing, told the same hearing that the town centre could be a horrible, dangerous place' for small groups of police dealing with up to 3,000-4,000 people.

He said: "People basically expect this extra policing. But we are reviewing the night time economy.

"We need more responsibility and ownership of the problem where it is starting. These people are getting drunk somewhere."