"I hope you'll like your new face because I'm going to bite your nose off."

It is 11.30pm, a drunk has just been thrown out of the Groves Company Inn, in Fleet Street, and he is less than impressed at the way his evening has ended.

After shouting and abusing door staff he starts on the police, lashing out at them with his fists, feet and head.

It takes five officers to wrestle him to the ground and once on the floor he continues to shout threats about the various acts of violence he intends to inflict on them.

Eventually, as intrigued revellers watch on, he is bundled into a van and off to the police station where he will face charges of a public order offence and assaulting a police officer.

"We're doing all we can to make the bottom of town a safer place for people and it's about public reassurance across the board," Sgt Nigel Kinderman says.

This Bank Holiday weekend saw a police crackdown on trouble at the bottom of town.

Extra officers were drafted in to deal with drink-fuelled violence, police with camcorders were collecting evidence and the recently imposed dispersal order was rigorously enforced.

The Adver joined Sgt Kinderman, pictured above, and his team on a busy Sunday night as they dealt with everything from violent drunks to people relieving themselves in public.

"There's a whole raft of measures we are introducing to make it a safer place," Sgt Kinderman said.

One such measure is the dispersal order, which gives police the power to move people on if they suspect they may cause trouble.

Over the weekend several pub goers were arrested for ignoring the order but Sgt Kinderman says the majority are listening to it.

"A lot of people are taking heed of it.

"We have had people boisterous and rowdy and, to be fair, a lot of them are moving on," he said.

"It's early stages but it does seem to be working well so far."

The extra officers, which are part of a month-long bid to clamp down on trouble, are also making a difference.

"With the resources we have had available we have had more arrests for public order offences," Sgt Kinderman said.

"It has meant we can nip things in the bud before they escalate.

"It has been busy but we have had the resources to cope with it and it's worked well.

"We have kept the disorder to a minimum."

The officers who patrol the town are keen to ensure good relations with the security staff at the pubs and clubs and a radio system allows the door staff to alert the police to any incidents immediately.

Sgt Kinderman said: "We're taking a positive approach to alcohol-related offences, and working with the licensees we are determined to make it a safe place."

Taxi drivers make their point by boycotting area

TAXI drivers boycotted the bottom of town in a bid to show police how they help prevent trouble in the area.

The boycott came after Carl King became the latest hackney carriage driver to be taken to court for picking up on John Street earlier this month.

He was charged with parking in a dangerous place and fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of £154.

The drivers handed out leaflets to publicise their boycott, which ran from 7pm on Sunday till 7am yesterday.

Mr King, 28, of Wroughton, said: "The point was to show the police that if taxis weren't down there town would kick off and there would be aggro. It would show the police that we're needed down there."

While a small number of taxis continued to go down John Street most picked up from Fleming Way a spot police are keen for the taxis to use.

Sgt Nigel Kinderman said: "We are grateful to the taxis picking people up and taking them away but what we're trying to stop is them picking up at that dangerous point.

"At that point they cause an obstruction and members of the public congregate there and then we get problems with them fighting.

"We are glad they used Fleming Way because that's exactly what we've been asking them to do."

Mr King said that taxis would continue to use Fleming Way as a taxi rank and urged the public to go there for a cab.