THAMES Valley Police launched its third annual summer street robbery campaign on Saturday.

Operation Buzzard aims to protect the summer influx of tourists and students from street crime.

Figures for last year’s operation recorded a 32 per cent overall reduction in robberies compared to previous years. It involves specialist units patrolling hotspots in a bid to deter attackers.

Det Insp Paul Miller said: “I would like to stress that Oxford is a safe place to visit during the summer.

“But sometimes residents, visitors and students are vulnerable to crime and become a target for opportunist offenders.”

Det Sgt Pauline Heilbron, from the Oxford Robbery Team, said: “My team will continue to target robbery robustly and bring these offenders to justice.

“The team includes officers in high-visibility roles, plain-clothed officers and detectives.”

She said police neighbourhood teams would also be checking city parks after problems in recent summers of teenagers on language courses gathering for impromptu parties.

She said: “The police teams are committed to tackling litter problems and underage alcohol problems.”