Street pastors to hit city streets (From Daily Echo)

Street pastors to hit city streets

8:51am Tuesday 1st July 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share

A CHURCH-run guardian angels' scheme to protect revellers leaving city nightspots will be rolled out in Southampton next year.

The street pastors will mingle with people leaving pubs, clubs and youth centres from next spring in a bid to cut crime.

The Daily Echo revealed on Saturday, pictured right, how the church-run initiative has played a major role in a dramatic drop in offences in a Hampshire village.

Violence, thefts, criminal damage and rowdy behaviour have all been slashed since the patrols were launched in Fair Oak in February.

Canon Geoff Annas, chairman of the Southampton Street Pastors, said: "I am happy to confirm that a street pastors scheme similar to that in Fair Oak and Portsmouth will be starting in Southampton in the late spring.

"A management committee bringing together representatives of the Christian churches, police and city council is already established and plans are under way to offer the necessary training in the new year.

"We are particularly grateful to the Mayor of Southampton Councillor Brian Parnell for making street pastors one of his charities."

Canon Annas, who is the vicar of Thornhill, told the Daily Echo that preparations for bringing street pastors to Southampton was well under way.

He said: "We are really excited about it and the support that we have been getting from churches across the city has been overwhelming."

It will need a big task force of street pastors because the city's night life is so diverse.

• Print
• Email
• Share