CRIME is a problem in every UK town and Swindon remains a perfectly safe place to live and work, say local politicians.

It comes after suggestions that the popular TV programme 999: What’s Your Emergency?, which has aired on Channel 4 for the past two weeks, has painted Swindon in a less than favourable light.

The show follows emergency crews as they go about their work on a day-to-day basis, and for the past fortnight has shadowed officers on the Wiltshire force.

The first episode looked at the apparent rise in racist attacks following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union last June.

And on Monday, the focus was very much on the disproportionate amount of crime committed by the town’s angry young men.

It was revealed that males between the ages of 16 and 24 make up five per cent of Wiltshire’s population, but are responsible for a quarter of all calls received by the county’s 999 call handlers.

In response, North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson praised the work of the emergency services and said he thought it unlikely that people would form a negative opinion of Swindon.

He said: “The programme has done a good job of highlighting the increasing number of challenges that our fantastic emergency services have to deal with each day, especially surrounding safeguarding issues and matters relating to mental health issues.

“I don’t think the programme is necessarily reflecting badly on the town. I think that people watching it will understand that these are extreme circumstances and unfortunately there is crime and unpleasant incidents in every part of the country.”

Coun Russell Holland, deputy leader of Swindon Borough Council, agreed, and trumpeted the town’s successes.

Mr Holland said: “Our colleagues in the emergency services do a great job in some very difficult circumstances and the 999 series is certainly helping to raise the profile of the great work they do.

“Unfortunately the documentary, through its weekly themes, places a lot of attention on the behaviour of a very small number of people which does not represent the reality of life in the county.

“Swindon is a great place to live because of the people who live here and the council is committed to making the town even better.

"There are plans to spend hundreds of millions of pounds to continue to improve the town over the next few years, which will create thousands of additional jobs.”

“We have so much to be proud of. We have the 10th most productive economy in the UK and have been named as the seventh most investable town or city in the UK. This is the Swindon I know and love, not the town that has been depicted on our TV screens on Monday nights.”

South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said he fully supported programmes that show the day to day work of policing, but he did worry that a bad impression of the town may be given.

He said: “It shows our emergency services doing great work, and that’s important.

“Every town and city has its problems, and a group of people who don’t wish to fit in with the rest of society. But we must stress that Swindon is a safe place to live and work.”