WILTSHIRE Police say they are committed to making the town a safer place after it was revealed Swindon had the highest rate of flashers and peeping toms in the country.

The figures from the Home Office, show Swindon was the worst place for perverted behaviour in the UK, having the highest levels of flashers and peeping toms in the country.

There were 94 cases of people exposing themselves or spying on others in the town in the 12 months up to and including September 2016.

That is up from 40 instances of exposure or voyeurism recorded in the area over the same period the year before.

Acting inspector sergeant Gemma Vinton said the force is determined to halt instances of indecent exposure and voyeurism and had plans in place.

She said: “Obviously we take reports of this nature very seriously and we know they have a significant impact on victims. We would like to make sure a thorough investigation is carried out and victims are given the correct support.

“We were aware the numbers were high but in terms of the national picture we were not aware that it was the highest as we focus on Wiltshire. We want to bring these numbers down.

“We want to have proactive patrols in place and we will make sure we have good community policing teams around. We will also consider using plain clothes polices officers.”

Sgt Vinton said police were keeping a close eye on recently released offenders who have a history of similar behaviour.

Sgt Vinton said: “It is something we’re determined to eradicate and we don’t want people to be frightened when they’re out and about on their daily business.”

Exposure is when someone exposes their genitals with the intention that someone will see them, in order to cause alarm or distress, while voyeurism involves someone observing or recording a person doing a private act without their consent.

On July 24 last year a masked and partially clothed man scared a 10-year-old child when he jumped out of bushes in Seven Fields, Penhill.

On July 2 a teenage jogger also in Seven Fields came face-to-face with a naked cyclist.

The teenager was running along the cycle paths when she heard a noise and looked around and saw a man walking out from the bushes. He was naked except for a red cycle helmet and had a pushbike.

In April a young girl walking home was approached by a scarf-wearing flasher outside Abbey Meads Community Primary School.

The girl was walking towards the footbridge that goes from Abbey Meads to St Andrews Ridge across Thamesdown Drive when a man emerged from the bushes on the near side of the bridge.

He had his face covered and wasn’t wearing a top, his trousers were round his ankles as he exposed himself to the victim. He disguised his face with a red scarf wound round his head with only his eyes visible.