Police target town centre yobs
Police in Staffordshire are launching a force-wide operation to tackle violent crime.
Police in Staffordshire are launching a force-wide operation to tackle violent crime.
Operation Safer Nights is aimed mainly at alcohol-related town centre violence and disorder.
It brings together under one banner a number of policing activities aimed at reducing violent incidents in town centres.
It is being rolled out across the force area in time for the Christmas party season, one of the peaks for this type of crime.
Assistant Chief Constable Mick Harrison said: "This time of year can see a rise in violent crimes in our town centres as people are out socialising and celebrating.
"Tackling violent crime is one of the force's top priorities and Operation Safer Nights is our response to the problem and its association to binge drinking."
Safer Nights backs up the force's operational activities which are planned over the festive period and will continue into the new year and beyond.
"We know that at this time of year people can drink too much in a short space of time and that can lead to aggressive behaviour and conflict," said Mr Harrison.
"Staffordshire is committed to tackling this problem and over the Christmas and New Year period we will be highly visible, in numbers in our town centres. However, after Christmas this operation will become part of the usual way we conduct our business."
"By integrating all our efforts and giving it a single name we hope that it will achieve the same recognition as Operation Nemesis, our anti-drugs operation. Nemesis is now well known and people recognise it easily.
"We believe that Safer Nights can achieve the same level of recognition so that when members of the public see the Safer Nights logo they will know that our officers are on the town centre streets and feel reassured that we're dealing with alcohol-related violence."
The force will be targeting drugs as well alcohol through Safer Nights.
Officers will be using the Ion Track drug testing machine at a number of licensed premises supported by their licensees. Force drugs dogs will also be out and about helping officers detect drugs.
"Our aim and that of our partners is to keep our town centres safe and we're targeting the small minority of people that drink too much, abuse drugs and can then spoil the atmosphere for others.
"Working with Staffordshire's county, unitary, borough and district councils, local licensees and drug and alcohol support groups, we want to ensure that those enjoying a night out can do so without incident."
"It's a serious problem and we are determined to tackle it so that our town centres become even more safe and enjoyable places to visit. We want people to be safe and feel safe when they're out enjoying themselves. That's why we wanted to create a name that people would recognise and understand what was happening," he added.
