Shopkeepers and residents in Glastonbury are considering hiring a private security company to patrol the Somerset town and counter the problem of violent and antisocial behaviour.

Glastonbury is famed across the world for its peace-loving, alternative vibe, as well as its music festival, but the police and town council accept there has been an outbreak of crime and bad behaviour.

Some residents have said they are so worried that they shun the High Street at certain times while visitors have reported seeking different routes to Glastonbury Tor, the hill that soars above the town and the surrounding Somerset Levels, to avoid the troublemakers.

The problem has become so acute that the town council called a public meeting last week to discuss solutions. An assistant chief constable from Avon and Somerset police attended but tensions ran so high that he had to help junior officers defuse a blazing row between two attendees, one of whom had identified herself as a “peacemaker” in the town.

Action promised by police includes providing horses to patrol the town and carrying out days of action. They have called for volunteers to help staff the CCTV control room.

However, Liz Williams, a science fiction writer and the owner of an occult bookshop in Glastonbury, revealed that a group of shopkeepers and residents was in talks with the security company Atlas UK Security Services.

She said: “We have to deal with drug dealers, with people drunk in the street, with fights, and people are constantly asked for money. The other day a naked man was urinating in the jeweller’s doorway. The police came and they got thumped. We need changes.”

The private security company would carry out patrols, gather evidence and hand over offenders to police. They wear uniforms including “tactical vests” equipped with handcuffs and body-worn cameras.

Atlas has already been working in the Somerset village of Martock, where residents have reported a reduction in antisocial behaviour.

Insp Mark Nicholson, who has worked in Glastonbury for eight years, said that the town drew in people who led a “chaotic lifestyle” and the problem of antisocial behaviour in the High Street had been particularly bad this year. He said: “The vast majority of my officers’ time is spent dealing with the situation up there. Glastonbury is unique, diverse. It does bring people who bring us issues.”

At the public meeting, people reported stabbings and beatings and claimed some of the troublemakers, who tend to congregate near the war memorial, armed themselves with needles.

About 750,000 tourists visit Glastonbury each year, many attracted by its peaceful reputation. Resident Paul Lund said: “We have a lot of people who are very scared. Tourists are seeing what is happening. The traders are complaining and residents are angry and upset. A town can decline through lack of maintenance and control measures.”

Ian Tucker, a town councillor, said he was shocked to find out that many residents would not walk up the High Street after noon, fearing they would encounter people who are drunk.

“That is a scandalous situation. We live in a lovely town. How have we allowed this to get to where it has?”

Some people are worried about the security patrol and say that measures to tackle trouble could force out people who make Glastonbury special, such as those who sell wands and charms and read fortunes on the street.

Lisa, who does charity work in Glastonbury, said: “These people are here. They are part of our community. We can’t run them out of town. They came to Glastonbury thinking they might find something solid here. It comes to something when a community is thinking about hiring a private police force.”

Assistant chief constable Steve Cullen, who is in charge of frontline policing in Avon and Somerset, said the force was committed to helping. “Dealing with antisocial behaviour is a core responsibility of the police service.” On the issue of hiring Atlas, he said: “If a local community choose to pay for additional eyes and ears, clearly that’s their choice.”