Tackling crime with the night time economy

Have a great night, have a safe night!

With a large number of pubs, clubs and restaurants, Torbay attracts many people of all ages looking for a great night out.   Throughout the year a range of statutory agencies (like the police and the health service) work in partnership with licensed premises, businesses and volunteers to help make Torbay a safe place to be by night. With so many people in a relatively small area, along with the availability of alcohol, work always is needed to make sure that we achieve our objectives.

Safer Nights Torbay

At the end of 2010, Safer Communities Torbay launched ‘Safer Nights Torbay.’ Safer Nights Torbay is an ongoing campaign that includes an ever-changing range of projects, initiatives and events that seek to raise awareness of the impact that alcohol can have on the mind and body, especially when binge drinking and drinking to hazardous levels.  It also  encourages those seeking a good night out to have fun but also act and behave responsibly and be aware of the consequences if they fail to do so.  

Safer Nights Torbay is a campaign delivered in partnership and includes:

• Torbay Council
• South Devon College
• Torbay Care Trust
• Devon and Cornwall Police
• Torbay Street Pastors
• Torquay Town Centres Company (Business Improvement District)
• Local taxi firms
• Local pubs and clubs

Safer Nights Torbay is an evolving campaign that reflects hot topics and problematic issues in Torbay – the following sections outline our previous work as well as this year’s campaign.

How will the ongoing work of Safer Nights Torbay be delivered?

There are five aspects to the delivery of Safer Nights Torbay ongoing work:

1. Got the info? Make a choice.

Safer Nights Torbay aims to give people information and advice about alcohol, to help them make informed choices when they’re out at night and also when reflecting on drinking behaviour.  To make sure that this information is up to date and relevant to young people, Safer Communities has worked with students from South Devon College to develop and evaluate campaigns and their identity and key messages.

2. Drinking together? Stay together.

As alcohol can make people, especially women, more vulnerable late at night, Safer Nights Torbay offers personal safety advice and information.  

3. Somewhere to get help

Someone on a night out who gets into trouble or needs help may not know where to go, especially if they’re disorientated through alcohol or unfamiliar with the area. In Christmas 2010 a new ‘year round’ weekend service was launched by Torbay’s Street Pastors  that provides a safe haven for anyone in need by night.  The service is operated from an especially outfitted van which parks up on the Strand. For more information visit the Street Pastors website .

4. The operational response

Torbay’s night life is very busy on most Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year, but especially so during seasonal periods such as Easter, Christmas and New Year. To prepare for these busy periods, work is carried out by agencies like the police and the council to make sure that there are enough resources available to help make the area safer and to deal with any crime and disorder associated with alcohol and drugs.  

5. Working with local businesses, pubs and clubs

Many licensed premises and other businesses in Torbay, like taxi firms, are helping to make Torbay a safer place at night as part of the Safer Nights Torbay campaign. Examples of such partnership work include the promotion of safer and more responsible drinking on the internal plasma screens of the nightclubs.