Those who dislike football probably hated the takeover of our television screens with the World Cup over the last month, but perhaps, if they are concerned about crime levels, they should wish for the televised tournament to go on forever.

The performance of local violent criminals appears to have dipped in line with the performance of the England team on the pitch. Surrey Police say it has shown violent offenders the red card. The number of violent offences, reported during the World Cup, decreased by around 40% even compared with the figure recorded during the 2010 tournament.

Police also saw a 15% reduction in the number of domestic violence incidents reported during this year’s World Cup compared with the tournament four years ago – and officers are determined to ensure this remains the case over the rest of the summer.

The police force carried out additional high visibility patrols in town centres across Surrey both during and after high-profile matches to respond to any public disorder and prevent increases in public place violence during the tournament but officers were only required to attend a very small number of football-related incidents.

In the build-up to the tournament neighbourhood officers worked closely with local authorities and licensees from pubs and clubs throughout Surrey to help prevent trouble and disorder from occurring.

Police officers also used new powers to prevent domestic violence during the World Cup through the introduction of domestic violence protection notices (DVPNs) and domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs) at the start of the tournament.

The protection notices ban anyone suspected of committing a domestic violence offence from returning to their victim’s home address and from having contact with the victim for 48 hours.

The aim of the notices is to allow the victim to have the required time and space away from the offender to make positive decisions regarding further action and is part of Surrey Police’s commitment to providing the highest quality victim care.

During the 48-hour period when the notice is in place Surrey Police will seek to obtain a DVPO from a magistrates’ court to extend the ban for a further 28 days, giving the victim an extended period of time to consider their options and seek help from a range of support services.

Anyone who breaches the order or any of the associated conditions could face arrest, a possible £1,000 fine and two months in prison.

A total of 20 DVPOs have so far been imposed by the courts across the county.

Superintendent Duncan Greenhalgh said: “It’s obviously extremely satisfying that violent offences across the county have dropped during the World Cup and this demonstrates that our positive and robust approach has had the desired impact.

“The plans put in place for policing World Cup matches ensured that everything went smoothly and I am pleased to report that we had very few football-related arrests.

“We are continuing to encourage Surrey residents to enjoy a safe and enjoyable summer of sport and I would again stress that large events are not an excuse for public place and domestic violence.

“We will not tolerate violent behaviour and I can promise that our officers will be using all available options to crack down on offenders – including continued use of domestic violence protection orders and notices – to ensure the best quality of care for victims of crime.

“I’m pleased that at this stage we have a 100 per cent success rate in terms of our DVPO applications being approved by the courts.

“If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic abuse please report it to us or contact specialist domestic abuse outreach services available across Surrey.”