Street Angels to patrol York city centre at night helping people in need (From York Press)

Street Angels to patrol York city centre at night helping people in need

8:21am Tuesday 14th July 2009

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A TEAM of volunteers is coming to York to look out for vulnerable revellers and combat crime.

Churches across the city have teamed up to launch Street Angels which will patrol the city centre at night helping people in need.

'Street Angels is a timely contribution from the church community which will contribute to making the city centre a safer place'

Similar schemes elsewhere have seen violent crime fall by up to 95 per cent.

The Angels will work with police and other authorities to make late-night streets safer. In other cities, they have helped people in vulnerable situations, walking single girls to taxi ranks or waiting with them for a bus, or helping people who have lost their friends and/or their mobile phones.

Chief Inspector Andy Hirst, of York Safer Neighbourhoods Police Team, said: “Street Angels are a very welcome addition to York’s night-time guardianship. “From a safety point of view, the angels provide a valuable contact and refuge for vulnerable people as well as helping to reduce antisocial behaviour and low-level crime.

“The scheme has been tried and tested in other parts of the country and has shown great results. We look forward to working with the Street Angels to ensure York remains a safe and enjoyable place to be.”

Similar ventures already exist in more than 80 towns and cities around the UK. They have contributed to a 42 per cent fall in violent crime in Halifax, 74 per cent in Peckham and 95 per cent in Camberwell.

The York project is set to start in September and is being led by One Voice York and Churches Together, the two partner networks of churches and church leaders in the city. There will initially be a handful of volunteers, but organisers hope to have 50 to 60 in place by Christmas.

Graham Hutchinson, co-chair of One Voice, said: “This is about Jesus’ people wanting to put something back into their community. The volunteers are going to have a great time in Street Angels.”

The Rev Chris Cullwick, of York Workplace Chaplaincy and a trustee of One Voice, said: “Street Angels is a timely contribution from the church community which will contribute to making the city centre a safer place. It is a practical contribution to reducing antisocial behaviour and will provide an additional resource to work alongside the emergency and other services.”

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