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A Safe Haven on a Night Out

Tuesday December 8

Jackie Macadam hears about an initiative of the Street Pastors, providing a safe space for town centre festive revellers.

If you’re making your weary way home from the office party, and you realise you need a bit of help, you might be in luck and find a ‘Safe Zone’.

“It was a model started in Falkirk three years ago,” says Moss Barclay, leader of the Street Pastors based in Gillespie Memorial Church in Dunfermline.

“It’s such a great idea. If there is an area right in the middle of town where people who feel down, feel too drunk to be safe, are in trouble or have lost their mates can go and be looked after, then we potentially not only help them but save police and ambulance time and help keep spaces in A and E freed up that might otherwise be used to allow people to just sleep it off.

“Lots of different agencies are represented here. The police are completely involved and sourced the building; Fife Alcohol Support Service; the Scottish Ambulance Service; Neighbourhood Watch Scotland; Fife Council and the British Red Cross among others.

“Basically it’s a central zone where people who have taken a bit too much Christmas spirit can go or be taken so that they are safe rather than sorry.

“There are paramedics there and an ambulance for anyone who is more seriously ill; representatives from the Samaritans for anyone who wants to talk; a few beds for those who just need to sleep it off and of course they are watched by first aiders to make sure they are safe.

“The Street Pastors are also involved and instead of spending maybe an hour or an hour and a half helping someone in distress in the street, we can pop them along to the Safe Zone and know that they’ll be looked after while we set out again to help others.

“There’s also a mobile unit available to us who will be able to be called up and will come out and transport people in need in to the Zone if they can’t make it there on foot.”

The Dunfermline Safe Zone is based at the Furniture Plus store next to the bus station in Dunfermline town centre and is open from 10pm – 5am each Friday and Saturday night in the run-up to Christmas, as well as December 26.

There are similar schemes in several Scottish towns and cities:
Edinburgh Safe Zone bus (Cathedral Lane, opposite Omni Centre)
Dundee Safe Zone bus (Lidl car park opposite Club Tropicana and Liquid Nightclub)
Glasgow Nitezone (various sites around the city centre)
Falkirk Safer Streets


Comments

Kenneth Nesbitt - Wednesday, December 9th, 2015

“An excellent idea and good to see the churches involved too. Not judging people's celebrations nor the conditions that may lead them to needing assistance, just 'being there'.”


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