A LEADING Ipswich publican today claimed people generally feel safer in the town at night than they did 20 years ago.Shaun De Silva, who runs The Brewers Arms at Orford Street, spoke following the death of a man found bleeding from a head wound in The Walk on Friday night .

A LEADING Ipswich publican today claimed people generally feel safer in the town at night than they did 20 years ago.

Shaun De Silva, who runs The Brewers Arms at Orford Street, spoke following the death of a man found bleeding from a head wound in The Walk on Friday night .

Detectives have now said the tragedy is being treated as unexplained rather than suspicious and a 47-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail.

Mr De Silva, chairman of the town's Pubwatch scheme and a fellow of the British Institute of Innkeepers, said: “I've been in my pub for 20 years and problems were far more frequent at the start of that time.

“That's not just at my pub but in the town as a whole. There is less unruliness around now as there used to be. From speaking to the public I've found people feel safe when they go out now - certainly more so than they did 20 years ago.

“I think it's because pubs are run with greater professionalism, landlords have a different temperament and licensing laws have changed.”

Mr De Silva's comments come a month after an Evening Star investigation revealed a large number of people in Suffolk are living in fear of violent crime.

Despite statistics revealing the county is one of the safest in the country the Star's web poll showed 71per cent of people were scared to go into Ipswich at night.

WEBLINKS:

www.onesuffolk.co.uk/Nightsafe

www.eveningstar.co.uk

Do you think Ipswich is safe at night? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk