LITTER and street begging are two of the things that police and partners are looking to clamp down on as part of a new initiative.

Police and multi-agency partners took to the streets of Worcester on Friday night to pick up on issues that can be tackled as part of Integrated Community Management (ICM), a new initiative which sees police working alongside staff at Worcester City Council and the University of Worcester to effectively deal with issues together.

ICM will focus largely on issues such as anti-social behaviour, parking, littering, taxi regulation and street drinking/drug use.

Chief Inspector Adam Thomas said: "We went out to look at what is going on in the night time economy of Worcester.

He said: "Often we come across issues such as littering and rough sleeping. This is a joint initiative between Worcester City Council and West Mercia Police to see how best to deal with issues affecting people who either live in or visit Worcester. It's not about dealing with night time disorder, it's about dealing with other issues that cause concern.

"There are some issues that council staff wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable dealing with at night on their own without police back up — such as issues involving noise nuisance — and there are issues that police can't deal with. This will see police and council staff out together to more effectively deal with problems."

The ICM will go live on Thursday, November 27 when the Victorian Fayre begins.

Ch Insp Thomas added: "On Friday we didn't see any significant problems, just people having a good time. Generally, Worcester is a safe place to be."

Councillor Jabba Riaz accompanied the police on the night.

He said: "As it was quiet on the night, I didn't get to see the areas of rough sleeping and how police deal with this. I felt reassured and safe in the city because of the police presence but I would like to know how females in the city feel and think.

"I also want to know how residents feel about noise in and around the Hop Market and New Street."