Cleveland Police and the Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence (CURV) are joining forces to encourage revellers to enjoy themselves safely in the area’s night-time venues this Christmas.
Between December 2020 and November 2022, a quarter of all police incidents took place within or around Cleveland’s night-time economy zones – with spikes on Friday and Saturday nights.
When averaged across this 23-month period, this means officers in Cleveland dealt with approximately 10 night-time economy-related incidents every hour on weekends.
The force and CURV are now supporting the national ‘Walk Away’ campaign, which encourages people to look out for each other on nights out and avoid any potential trouble.
ACC Richard Baker, said: “Violence in the night-time economy continues to be a significant issue across Teesside.
“Too many people are getting hurt, sometimes seriously, in our town centres on evenings and weekends, and we want to try and stop this from happening.
“The Walk Away campaign is a key message we want people to listen to, and that’s why we are supporting this initiative. Prevention is key. If you walk away from a situation which presents risk of harm to yourself or someone else, this will help you be safe this Christmas and New Year.
“Since November, local Neighbourhood Policing Teams across the Cleveland Police area have been running a number of operations aimed at tackling night-time economy related incidents and making our town centres safer for those out and about enjoying the festive period. Specialist teams have also been engaging with vulnerable members of society and pro-actively disrupting criminality.
“Our officers will be out and about over the festive period, continuing to make sure the people of Teesside have the safest Christmas as possible. Please do your bit and walk away from a heated or potentially violent situation.”
CURV has developed an action plan to introduce a range of measures in and around the region’s bars, pubs and clubs to make a night out safer for everyone. They recently held workshops with licence holders, bar managers and security staff from Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough and Redcar to hear their views as key stakeholders in the nighttime economy.
Head of CURV, John Holden, said: “Our research identified that police incidents and A&E attendance rapidly spike on weekend evenings – times traditionally associated with the night-time economy.
“We’re working on implementing a range of measures to reduce crime in the night-time economy – particularly violence – to reduce demand on services and prevent harm to party-goers.
“The Walk Away campaign is a great way to reach people in night-time venues to remind them that one poor judgement could change their lives for all the wrong reasons.”