Police have praised "community heroes" for the work they do in reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) in an Oxfordshire town. 

As part of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Week, Thames Valley Police praised the volunteers at Bicester Green Gym, who the force says play a "key part" in reducing ASB.

Bicester Green Gym is a group of volunteers who aim to improve the environment at locations around Bicester, while also improving their physical fitness and mental well-being.

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They were praised for having a "fantastic track" record of identifying locations where ASB takes place , and using gardening skills to "design out" opportunities for offenders to continue their activities unobserved by police and the wider public.

ASB is defined as "behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person".

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(Image: Thames Valley Police) Last Tuesday, PCSOs Pearce and Drury joined Bea and Pat from the Green Gym Team, who were tackling one of the areas on Bure Park Nature Reserve reported as being linked to "drug-related activity".

Officers said they worked with the volunteers on opening out the footpaths near this location to improve visibility, and also took the opportunity to do a general clear-up of litter in the area.

Bicester Green Gym was established in May 2006 and is based in Bure Park, Bicester. 

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