In Bradford in West Yorkshire, police are teaming up with Street Angels this weekend. ARCH Initiatives workers from the Drugs Intervention Programme (DIP), part of Bradford District’s police-led Integrated Offender Management scheme, will be joining the Angels on Friday and Saturday night in Bradford centre and in Wibsey, helping vulnerable people and giving out alcohol and drug intervention advice where needed.
DIP staff will also be based at the city’s custody suite at Trafalgar House in Bradford to speak to anyone arrested for drink-related offences and to provide further support or referral to alcohol treatment services if necessary. The operations have been planned as part of this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week initiative, a multi-agency scheme aimed to make people across the Bradford District consider their drinking habits. This year’s theme is ‘what is alcohol costing you?’
Julie Helliwell, Bradford DIP service manager, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for us to build local links with the Street Angels while offering real time advice and information to the people of Bradford. In addition to speaking with people who have committed alcohol-related offences, we have the opportunity to help others consider the potential impact of their drinking; hopefully preventing them from anti-social behaviour and suffering from health problems linked to excessive alcohol consumption.”
Paul Sunderland, who chairs the Bradford Street Angels, said: “We are looking forward to working with the DIP team and introducing them to our work. As well as building a good relationship with them, we’re also hoping to introduce them to some people we know who could benefit from their help and advice.”
And Sergeant Claire Stothers, who is co-ordinating police activities for Alcohol Awareness Week, added: “A lot of police time and effort is spent dealing with alcohol-related offences, so it’s fantastic that the police and partner agencies are working together to alert people to the dangers of drinking excessively and the importance of staying safe on a night out.”
