Luke Pollard MP Labour & Co-op Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport
I enjoy a cheeky pint with my mates on a Friday night. It’s a chance to relax, chew over the week and catch up with friends.
I’m not alone. The night time economy is hugely important to Plymouth, supporting out brilliant cultural and hospitality businesses and offering locals and visitors alike a chance to unwind and enjoy themselves.
For us to make the most of the pubs, restaurants, bars and nightlife we need everyone to feel safe, both when heading out and in getting home at the end of the night too.
As a city we’ve made huge strides to improving the safety of our community, but there are still too many incidents of violence and sexual assaults.
I wanted to understand how we keep our city safe and so earlier this month I had the privilege of joining officers from Charles Cross Police Station on their evening patrols covering the night-time economy in Barbican, Union Street, and the City Centre. It was an opportunity to see first-hand the hard work they do to keep us all safe on a night out.
Since being elected in 2017, I’ve actively engaged with our local frontline services, including shifts with the ambulance service and spending time in the Emergency Department at Derriford Hospital.
Joining our local police service on patrol was a natural progression and I’m very grateful to the Inspector for enabling me to join this shift.
The vast majority of people we met and spoke to on the shift were having a good time. Sadly a few drunken incidents can spoil a night out for many and we saw the consequences of too many beers. It’s a strange feeling observing the police on a night out, sober, and standing aside from the action, but an invaluable one.
Our police officers are trained to support the fight against violence towards women and girls. I was given an insight into what they look out for and how predatory behaviour can be spotted and challenged. It was eye opening to see how the people on the frontline of policing work so closely with bars, door staff and other emergency services in the city.
Plymouth has an award-winning approach to the night-time economy with the Best Bar None Award, an initiative that I have been proud to support involving the police and local businesses working together to keep people safe on a night out.
I’m so proud that our city was once again awarded Purple Flag accreditation last year in recognition of how they city’s evening and night time economy is run. Purple Flag status is given to cities and towns that meet or surpass high standards of excellence in managing their night-time economy, similar to the Blue Flag scheme for beaches.
Policing plays a key role in this accreditation. The work they have done for campaigns such as Ask for Angela and anti-spiking has been crucial to ensuring Britain’s Ocean City remains a safe place for locals and visitors to socialise and celebrate.
I still want more people to know about the Ask for Angela scheme. If you’re on a date or in a situation that doesn’t feel right or safe, go to the bar and simply ask for Angela. All of our city’s bar staff should be trained to know what this means and how to help folks be safe or provide them with support to leave the venue safely.
The police in Plymouth do a good job keeping us all safe. As a local MP I’ve witnessed the dedication of our police force first-hand in the aftermath of the Keyham shooting and the recent WWII bomb discovery.
I have in the past raised legitimate concerns about certain aspects of Devon and Cornwall’s Police operations, such as their firearms approvals where there is still much more work to do. Nonetheless, seeing these officers during their shift on the Barbican really helped build my confidence in the local police force’s approach to our night-time economy.
I’d like to extend my thanks to Devon and Cornwall Police for the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their operations and their unwavering commitment to keeping our community safe.
Everyone, without exception, should be able to enjoy a night out in Plymouth without having to worry about their safety. We can all do our bit to keep our city safe but its good to know the police are there too.