Police Scotland and partner agencies set up a ‘Safe Zone’ in Dunfermline town centre for people who may need assistance after festive nights out.
With Fife Council, Scottish Ambulance Service, British Red Cross, Street Pastors and voluntary agencies, Police Scotland is expecting a marked increase in people attending nights out with friends and colleagues, increasing the potential for over consumption of alcohol, and risking becoming a victim of crime.
The Safe Zone will be at 82 High Street, Dunfermline will provide a venue for people to meet if they get separated from friends, people suffering the effects of excessive alcohol consumption and people requiring minor medical assistance. The Safe Zone will be open from 10pm to 4am on the following dates:
Friday 6th and Saturday 7th December 2013
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th December 2013
Friday 20th (7pm opening) and Saturday 21st December 2013
Inspector Neil Henderson said “We hope that people wonโt need to use the services at the Dunfermline Safe Zone by keeping themselves safe on their night out, but having a fully staffed facility will hopefully provide people with some form of reassurance to assist in allowing them to enjoy their evening. Your safety should remain paramount and this can be achieved by planning ahead, have something to eat before going out, watching how much alcohol you consume, rehydrating yourself with water and looking after your friends.โ
Alan Shields, Scottish Ambulance Service, Area Service Manager said: “The Scottish Ambulance Service is pleased to be working with partner agencies to deliver the Dunfermline Safe Zone which will provide safety and support to festive party goers if required. While visitors to Dunfermline during the festive period are encouraged to enjoy their time in the town centre, responsible alcohol consumption will ensure a great night out.โ
Councillor Ian Sloan from the Fife Alcohol and Drug Partnership said: “The Safe Zone initiative in Dunfermline is a great example of agencies and local people working together to provide a safer city centre environment. People are becoming more familiar with messages about the harm that can be caused by drinking over the recommended limits and the impact alcohol has on other people, not least the public and voluntary services who provide care and protection over the festive period.
“By thinking differently and working together the partners have provided an excellent opportunity to engage with people about their own alcohol use and reduce the pressure on emergency services.โ
Meanwhile police in Aberdeenshire launched their winter festive campaign Safer Streets on Friday 6 December.
Working alongside several partner agencies including Aberdeenshire Council, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Street Pastors, NHS Grampian and Cair Scotland.
Local Police Commander for Aberdeenshire and Moray, Chief Superintendent Mark McLaren said: “Aberdeenshire is a fantastic place to live and the many towns offer a vibrant night time economy which we welcome.
“Safer Streets has been a highly successful campaign over the years and we are committed to keeping people safe and building on the work that has been done with our partner agencies to ensure a secure environment for residents to enjoy. That is why we will see additional patrols and resources in the area over the festive period.
“We are delighted that our local policing teams will be able to once again work with partners to ensure alcohol related violence and antisocial behaviour is minimised. Our message is clear, we want people to enjoy themselves but to do so responsibly.
“We want to ensure that the minority do not get the opportunity to ruin it for those who are looking to go out and enjoy themselves over the festive period.”
The Winter Safer Streets programme is funded by Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership. William Munro, Chair of the Partnership said: “The co-ordinated approach used in Safer Streets has proved very successful in the past and we hope to create a safe environment for people to be able to go out and enjoy the festivities without encountering antisocial behaviour.”
Councillor Ron McKail, Chairman of Aberdeenshire Community Safety Network, said: “Safer Streets is about each of the partners joining forces to make the festive period as safe and as enjoyable as possible for all.
“The Christmas party season begins in earnest this weekend and it’s important that people take sensible steps to ensure that they don’t regret any more than just a hangover the next morning. Simple things like planning how you are going to get home in advance and looking after your valuables can help keep you safe at the busiest time of the year.”
Chris Littlejohn, Consultant in Public Health with NHS Grampian, said that excessive alcohol use, although not the cause, is often a major factor in incidents of anti-social behaviour, violence, and domestic abuse. Moderation is to be encouraged as a way to increase everyone’s safety and enjoyment of the festive period. The recommended daily amounts for women and men are no more than three or four units per day respectively. That’s equivalent to two small glasses of wine or two pints of beer. Drinking more than this has a negative effect on our health, our awareness and decision making, and can lead to people finding themselves in risky situations that they would avoid if sober.
Adam Coldwells Chair of Aberdeenshire’s Alcohol and Drug Partnership said: “We need to remember that our bodies take time to process every unit of alcohol drunk, which can lead to still being over the legal limit for driving the next day. What we consider to be normal drinking may not be safe drinking, so stay ‘safe’ whilst enjoying the festivities.”
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Local Senior Officer for Aberdeenshire and Moray, David Rout, said: “The purpose of the Service’s involvement in Safer Streets is to ensure that suitable preventive advice, assistance and action is taken to protect the public from the dangers of fire in the home and their surrounding community areas and make sustained and targeted efforts to reduce wilful fires through the direct links with anti- social behaviour. Alcohol remains a significant contributory factor in the underlying cause of fires in the home. If you have been drinking alcohol the likelihood of a fire starting increases considerably.
“No organisation can tackle or address the issues of anti-social behaviour, alcohol and substance misuse alone. It is acknowledged that a partnership approach is needed and as such The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is delighted and united in its approach to collaborate with its key partners in the Police Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, NHS and other key partners to proactively work together in the Aberdeenshire winter festive campaign Safer Streets.โ
