Alan Given admits the three-year target is ambitious

Alan Given, chief executive of the government-funded Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership said crime rates would be cut by 26% by March 2008.

He said much had been done in the past few months to achieve the target.

Mr Given added that the group also aims to get 3,000 of the city's drug users into treatment as part of the scheme.

Drugs do definitely fuel crime there's no doubt about that Alan Given, Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership

The former officer said that the group, which started work on the target in 2005, had been concentrating on tackling the most common crimes in Nottingham which include woundings, criminal damage, car crime and burglary.

Speaking on the BBC's Politics Show in the East Midlands, Mr Given said there would be 12,000 fewer victims of crime in the city by 2008.

He added that treating drug users would play a big part in the initiative.

"Drugs do definitely fuel crime there's no doubt about that and we think that in Nottingham city we've got about 4,000 problematic drug users.

"Our ambtiion is to get 3,000 of those into treatment by 2008. Now that will definitely help to bring crime down," he said.