THE States police are increasing their night-time patrols in St Helier as the Christmas party season gets under way.
Officers will work alongside the honorary police and organisations including the Street Pastors, Normandy Rescue and St John Ambulance for the annual Operation Visible, which aims to keep people safe during the festive period.
The force said that this year’s initiative will “actively address concerns” raised in the recently released Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce report.
The review found that some women and girls in Jersey felt afraid walking alone, and that many had suffered harassment and sexual abuse.
In a statement, the States police said: “The primary focus of Op Visible is to encourage individuals to plan ahead for a safe journey home.
“Recognising the importance of personal safety, the key messages are to make a plan for your journey home, make sure you have enough money left to get a taxi, arranging for someone to collect you, making sure your phone is charged and to remain with your friends while out for the night.”
St John Ambulance and Normandy Rescue will base themselves in the Weighbridge between 9pm and 3am tonight and tomorrow and the Street Pastors will be walking around the town every Saturday night between 11pm and 3am.
Honorary police officers will also be carrying out patrols.
Inspector Lynda McKenna, who leads Op Visible, said: “Op Visible is a proactive and collaborative effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community during the festive season.
“By working together with organisations such as the Street Pastors, St John’s Ambulance, Normandy Rescue and the honorary police, we aim to offer a reassuring presence and create a supportive and secure environment for Islanders.”
She added: “We know that the night-time economy can contribute to incidents involving public disorder and violence, so police officers will be on patrol in key areas of the town during weekend evenings, with a consistent approach to tackling offending and safeguarding members of our community.
“We don’t want to spoil any-one’s fun at Christmas and this initiative is about keeping everyone safe. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable night and we’ll be out in those areas on the weekends talking to people and offering help, should they need it.”
