Street crime slashed in town which banned off-licences from selling super-strength cider and beer Ipswich led campaign to clampdown on street disorder Police report plunge in anti-social behaviour of nearly 50% Town and cities across UK set to follow Suffolk example Ipswich has seen a sharp drop in the number of people boozing and brawling in the street after they clamped down on off-licences selling super strength alcohol. Ipswich's drastic move has sparked a plunge in crime and anti-social behaviour of nearly 50 per cent related to street drinking since the mission was launched six months ago. Police have said that reported incidents involving street boozers were slashed to 94 between September and March this year, compared to 191 during the same period the year before. After Ipswich banned off-licences selling ultra-strong alcohol, police have reported an almost 50 per cent drop in street crime By the end of last year, there was a 20 per cent cut in the number of people defined as being part of the street-drinking community. East of England Co-op has also stripped super strength alcohol off the shelves in all 53 of its Suffolk stores. The campaign has been so successful that the huge high-street chain is now in high-level discussions about banishing it from all 135 of its off-licensed premises across East Anglia. Some 80 out of 122 off-licences in Ipswich have now voluntarily stopped selling cheap, highly-potent lagers and ciders. Ipswich generated massive national media coverage when it kickstarted the bold drive last September. Now the rest of the UK looks set to follow the example of the Suffolk town, which has clamped down on those selling strong booze Apart from Co-ops and independent retailers, Tesco, Martin McColl, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, BHS, Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Aldi are all backing the groundbreaking scheme. Among the other partners leading the campaign are Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council, and NHS Suffolk. 'Start Afresh', the over-arching operation launched in 2011 to tackle issues surrounding street drinking in Ipswich, has seen a number of improvements being made. It is not the first time Ipswich has been seen as a template for helping the vulnerable in society. Following the murders of prostitutes by Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright in 2006, the town~s innovative street prostitution strategy was lauded by many and implemented elsewhere. Ipswich residents say they are thrilled to see the amount of street drinkers fall and have welcomed the booze ban Reducing the Strength has been hailed for helping to make lives of the people who live and trade in the town more tolerable. Mike Brain, a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator in Ipswich, said: 'I think it's brilliant. The residents have noticed a difference. In 2008/09 there were real problems in our area. Those have gone. We have very, very few instances now. It seems to me that over the years we have learned more and more about the harm alcohol can do. With street drinkers you hear all sorts of stories. You can imagine people's lives falling apart. Reducing the Strength is a really good step forward. The Suffolk town's trailblazing Reducing the Strength campaign has sparked a plunge in crime and anti-social behaviour Strong alcohol, such as Tennent's lager, has been banned from being sold Roger Grosvenor, of East of England Co-operative Society, said the company would continue to help spearhead the brave blueprint. All 53 of its Suffolk stores, including the 26 in Ipswich, have voluntarily stopped selling super-strength alcohol. Mr Grosvenor said they were now poised impose the ban across the region. 'There has been no significant impact on turnover and even if there had been we would have still continued to support this initiative,' he said. Suffolk's assistant chief constable, Tim Newcomb, said:'The support we have received from independent and national retailers has been fantastic. A significant number of police forces and public sector agencies across the UK have been in contact with us to talk about our campaign. We look forward to assisting others in setting up similar initiatives and looking at the potential for rolling it out across the county. And now the Suffolk town's pioneering Reducing the Strength campaign - launched to crack down on street crime - is now taking off all over the country. Towns and cities across the UK will follow its example by stopping shopkeepers selling ultra-strong alcohol, which has been linked to street disorder. Insp Andrew Mason, of Ipswich Police, said: 'We have had about 50 enquiries from police forces and councils about the Reducing the Strength campaign. We have put together an email pack to send to those who have contacted us. He added: 'Portsmouth and Lincoln have decided to appoint street drinking liaison officers like we have in PC John Alcock. I made a presentation in London to 140 officers and we have boroughs down there such as Hackney and Camden coming to see us to see what we are doing.