Stroud town centre will be a safer place to enjoy a weekend night out, thanks to a new team of Night Safe Officers.
The two officers will patrol key locations on Friday and Saturday nights, support venue door staff and marshall the taxi rank on King Street at peak times.
They are part of a new scheme introduced by the Stroud Community Safety Partnership, of which Stroud District Council is a member. Funding was provided by the Gloucestershire Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Safer Streets Fund.
The Night Safe Officers will wear high-visibility uniforms which include radios and body-worn video cameras. They will offer a visible presence to identify issues before they escalate and protect vulnerable people.
The scheme will work in partnership with Gloucester City Safe which runs a similar operation. Manager of Gloucester City Safe, Steve Lindsay said:
“Gloucester City Safe is proud to be trusted with such an important role, providing what is a vital and necessary safety support service to the town. Officers will work closely with the Stroud Neighbourhood Police team and other partners in the night-time economy and will without doubt make a positive impact”.
Stroud District Council’s Chair of Community Services and Licencing Committee, Cllr Beki Aldam said:
“Everybody has the right to enjoy a night out in safety. There is so much to enjoy in Stroud and this initiative will help reduce anti-social behaviour, making residents, visitors and businesses feel safer”.
Vice Chair Cllr Trevor Hall added:
“Two key priorities in our Council Plan are Community Resilience and Wellbeing, and Economy, Recovery and Regeneration. The Night Safe Officers scheme is part of our work to reduce the impacts and causes of anti-social behaviour for residents, and their presence will support businesses in Stroud town centre.”
The scheme will start on Friday 30 for an initial three-month trial period.
