Making our streets safer

8:37am Thursday 27th September 2012 in News

On patrol: Street pastors from left, Judy Smith, Tom Ashcroft, Beth George and Rev Derek Arnold. Buy this photo » On patrol: Street pastors from left, Judy Smith, Tom Ashcroft, Beth George and Rev Derek Arnold.

STREET pastors will be deployed for the first time tomorrow to help people suffering the after-effects of binge drinking on the streets of Kidderminster.

Volunteers from The Churches Together in Kidderminster will help people on their night out by handing out bottled water to anyone who has drunk too much and flip flops to girls struggling in high heels.

The street pastors will also be helping to clear the streets of glass and litter.

Rev Derek Arnold, chairman of the street pastors committee, said: “We will help anyone who has hurt themselves or drunk too much or just needs someone to talk to.”

The initiative, supported by West Mercia Police and Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership, has been developed over the past 18 months, based on similar models in Bromsgrove and Worcester.

Mr Arnold added: “We have 16 street pastors trained to take the first patrol. After our commissioning service tomorrow we will all be doing a walk around the town, then the first team will begin their shift at 10pm.”

The scheme will see a team of street pastors patrol three times from 10pm until 4am every Friday night from their base at Baxter United Reformed Church in the Bull Ring.

Mr Arnold added: “Volunteers are from a variety of denominations in Kidderminster. Each pastor has had 12 lots of training to learn how to be safe.”

It costs about £350 for the training and uniform of each street pastor.

Grants have been provided by West Mercia Police and the Community Safety Partnership but donations and fund-raising might be used in the future to help with the running costs.

Wyre Forest District police Inspector Paul Crowley said: “We have fully supported the introduction of this initiative to Kidderminster from the outset and think that it is a positive development for the town.

“Street pastors are extensively trained and easily identified by their uniforms. They provide a listening ear and valuable support to people who may be in vulnerable situations.

“Their presence can diffuse situations and we are hoping that it will have a good effect on the anti-social behaviour of some people.”

Supporters are invited to the commissioning service at 7.30pm tomorrow at Baxter United Reformed Church.

What do you think of the street pastors initiative? Leave your comments below.

Comments(15)

stour67 says...
4:31pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Should send the bill for this to the pubs and night clubs that cause this.

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Cynical Sid says...
6:36pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Insp Paul Crowley -“Their presence can diffuse situations and we are hoping that it will have a good effect on the anti-social behaviour of some people.”

What?? The type of person requiring this sort of “diffusion” is the type of person who will see a uniform as some form of authority and they don’t like that one bit, be it a paramedic trying help a drunk, a fireman putting out a bin on fire or a Police Officer trying to pacify some inebriated idiot. They will be a magnet to drunks wanting their money back from the kebab shops, drunks demanding to know why they have been booted out from a nightclub, to name a few.

Do the fools who dreamt up this odd idea realise that normal sensible people at the end of a night simply jump into a taxi and go home leaving behind the dross you watch on Police TV programs, fighting, urinating, puking up, damaging property etc etc.

Its all going to end in tears and you read it here first. Good luck

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steadymark says...
7:31pm Thu 27 Sep 12

How cynical (Cynical Sid). I'm sure mush research has taken place before developing such a scheme, I know there have been teams in many UK towns and Cities. Unfortunately, there will always be someone that will abuse the workers in theses schemes just like there will in most things these days. I for one think this is a good thing, even if it helps just one intoxicated young lady out of danger into a taxi so she is no longer vulnerable. Good luck to all in the scheme, this is another example (Foodbanks) of local churches moving with the times and lending a hand when needed - keep up the good work

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Mr.Fie says...
12:58am Fri 28 Sep 12

Although i hope it works and I respect the effort and hours put in by these kind people, To be honest, i probably agree with Cynical, i hope hes wrong but I have a strange feeling I may be reading about this in the coming weeks (and not for the right reasons). I hope we're wrong though

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pottery1 says...
11:06am Fri 28 Sep 12

This type of project is already working well in other areas. The Street Pastors receive intensive training provided by partners and have a positive attitude to their work.
Before saying it won't work lets give it a chance for a change shall we and we might all be pleasantly surprised!

Cllr Helen Dyke
Chairman
Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership

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Driving Instructor says...
6:29am Sat 29 Sep 12

Funny this is, we used to have people called Police Officers doing this job and Special Constable's ( who have exactly the same powers) so dont contradict me,also some people called CSO, who I have never agreed with, ''No Powers at all'' why cant these clergy be sworn in as Specials and do the job correctly,,also Mrs Dyke we did have an excellant Wyre Forest Crime Prevention Panel, untill the Police Station in Kidderminster said they could no longer give it a meeting room and tea,that Panel was extremely busy in many ways.
My last comment will probably hit a few nerves as well,,Come back Mr Peter Picken !!!!! this area was far safer in his hands, very well respected Chief Superintendant, one would very rarely hear any one say NO to him.

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DOEPUBLIC says...
10:48am Sat 29 Sep 12

Well done Churches Together for another excellent initiative. Well done also to those giving freely of their time.

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pottery1 says...
1:38pm Sat 29 Sep 12

The Street Pastors will not be doing the job of the Police, Special Constables or Community Support Officers, there has never been any intention that they would their role is completely different. The Police will still be on duty dealing with the enforcement side of the night time economy.
As for the loss of the room in the police station for the meetings of the Crime Prevention Panel I have no idea what that has to do with this initiative!
I think that the Street Pastors should be supported 100% in this venture and I wish them every success.

Councillor Helen Dyke

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SausageUK says...
7:35pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Speaking from experience (unlike some other opinions here) I have seen and interacted with street pastors and every time they arrive peace follows.

Great idea, about time and well done in advance for those prepared to sacrifice their free time.

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RogerLFC says...
1:39pm Sun 30 Sep 12

How much training does it take to learn how to hand out some flip flops to a drunk? Anyway this is another example of ignoring the real issue which is pubs/clubs serving people booze when they are already drunk. If the vendors were more responsible then there would be no need to paper over the cracks with these volunteers. In the absence of responsibility then the Council should be out and about late at night collating evidence of illegal activity and prosecuting/closing down offending establishments. This is harder than sending kids' into corner shops to buy booze under age but unfortunately for the Councils it's their job to sort out the regulation of the late night economy.

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emjaypee says...
7:35pm Sun 30 Sep 12

Since the pubs/clubs are making a good profit from the drunks, how about they give a bit back in the form of regular donations to the street pastors. Afterall the pastors are effectively mopping up the mess caused by the pubs.

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Mr.Fie says...
9:13pm Sun 30 Sep 12

The pubs and clubs arent making as much as you think, theyre extortionaly taxed on the drink, the rates round here could make your eyes water, ppl and prs licences are too expensive and the insurance isnt cheap either, the days when you could make good money from a pub / club are long gone. As for getting the council to find and prosecute more people you must be mad, theres enough enforcement and spying activity by jumped up council employees as it is. It about time we stopped begging for more control and enforcement over our civil liberties. i agree that this should be a job for the police but usually they make the situations worse and its all about meeting targets and collecting revenue so the street pastors probably work better for diffusing situations and ensiring safety... its a sad day when you have to admit a bunch of local volunteers do better than our government. I applaud them for the sacrifice of time though.

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DAVID1875 says...
8:28am Mon 1 Oct 12

Driving Instructor makes good general points; West Mercia Police have CSOs(who cannot arrest anyone)who continue to have minimum powers because Chief Constable Shaw continues to ignore the wishes of the majority of West Mercia inhabitants who want them to have more powers! Other Chief Constables have done this,why can't he? We also have a local superintendent(Adria
n Pass)who makes public statements that he welcomes members of the public reporting matters to police and that they will never be treated as a nuisance,but then he is complicit in such people being treated as a nuisance! He also,without evidence of the full facts,claims his local officers are all doing an excellent job when they are not! Councils and/or police now have specific powers to levy charges on local pubs/clubs to cover the policing and other authority costs of late night disorder.Also,if police actually arrested and charged to court late-night offenders maybe the problem would reduce,but often it is too much trouble for them and they release offenders without charge!

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Respectable says...
8:54am Mon 1 Oct 12

Absolutley applaud the individuals that are prepared to give up their time and put themselves on the front line for their community.
I can't help but think Cynical Sid may have got it right but never the less well done folks. The very best of luck to you.
Now on a slightly different angle. If the police and local authourities are taking this approach with people that are drunk and disorderly so in breach of Section 5 Public Order... Can we have a Speed Pastors stood by every Police Camera Van or Fixed Camera to coach us on the error of our ways...? Currently if you commit a heanious crime like doing 36 in a 30 you can PAY out of your pocket £80 for a speed awareness course to avoid points... Why is there not some free coaching and words of wisdom over a free bottle of water ?
Surely no matter what the offence, the laws and penalties of the land should be applied with some consistency. Alternatvly if your being a pain in the a** because you've drunk too much maybe paying £80 when your sober and having to sit through an Alcohol and Citizenship awareness course might improve your behaviour.... Just a thought..

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oldmanbewdley says...
6:01am Tue 2 Oct 12

Aww come on, another bunch of uniforms on the street..... really?? So now me have Police, CSO's, Community Wardens, CEO's and now Street Pastors? I mean, can't we just have more proper police?

I can't decide who does what anymore!

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