The public have a vital role to play in combatting crime and making sure the area is safe over Christmas and the New Year, according to the police.

Chief Inspector Ken Elmes said that of all the partners that his officers work with in the course of their duties, the public were the most important.

New breath-test kits, devices to prevent the theft of purses and extra patrols on the streets are some of the measures being put in place as part of the Safer Winter campaign which has been launched in Dover, Deal and Sandwich.

"It's the people who live in our area are our biggest partners," said Ch Insp Elmes. "They can do so much to prevent crime, and to help us catch criminals who commit offences."

Police are joining with licensees to promote responsible drinking, officers will be tackling under-age sales and drinking, and they will also be targeting drink-drivers.

Community Safety Unit Sgt Guy Thompson said men and women should be aware of what and how much they are drinking, and where their drinks are.

He is also warning those who drink to excess that ultimately they could end up with an anti-social behaviour order, as one Dover man found out last month. And breaching that, as he did, results in spending time in prison.

Lanyards have been produced which will enable shoppers to secure their purses or wallets. The move follows 61 reports of purse thefts in Dover in the past six months.

The lanyards are available from Dover and Deal police stations, Sandwich police office, and from a mobile police station that will be in Dover town centre between 10am and 3pm on Saturday December 13.

More officers - both in uniform and plain clothes - will be on patrol in the town centres working with Dover Partnership Against Crime and the Shopwatch radio system to deter and detain shoplifters and other offenders.

"People need to keep all this in perspective," said Ch Insp Elmes. "The district is a safe place to live and work. But we can all do more to make it even safer."