‘Have a safe and Happy Christmas!’
‘ENJOY YOURSELF BUT STAY SAFE’: Councillor Ted Dolman in Silver Street
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Plainclothes council officers patrolling pubs and retail areas, police drugs dogs visiting licensed premises and a hard-hitting campaign aimed at reducing the sexual harassment of women are among a range of measures being deployed across the city to keep people safe this Christmas.
The additional resources are being aimed at the night-time economy as bars, restaurants and clubs gear up for what is traditionally their busiest time of year, and what is hoped will be a fun – and safe – festive period.
They will complement the already running Operation Yuletide, led by Humberside Police and supported by Hull City Council, which covers the retail sector and aims to ensure people can do their Christmas shopping without the distress caused by shop theft or antisocial behaviour.
Councillor Ted Dolman, city council portfolio holder for communities, said: “All of our operations around Christmas are about increasing visibility, whether its police or our officers, because what we find is the thing that really makes a difference to everybody is when you can see a presence there and feel a presence from people there to keep you safe.
“We’re also increasing visits to premises with the licensing team just to make sure everyone’s safe and everything’s running as smoothly as it should.
“We’ve got high-visibility and plainclothes (council) officers in town centre pubs and retail areas. If there’s a breach of the public space protection order in the city centre they’ll enforce that or work to enforce that with police. Any antisocial behaviour they spot they’ll make sure that’s properly reported and followed up.”
The council works closely with the Office of Humberside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, which is about to launch its own version of Just Don’t, a campaign initiated in West Yorkshire that aims to cut the sexual harassment of young women by men.
It was introduced after shocking figures revealed 86 per cent of women aged between 18 and 24 in the UK have been sexually harassed in public.
MESSAGE: Coun Dolman next to a White Ribbon campaign poster in Lowgate. The campaign aims to reduce male violence against women and girls
“It’s a hard-hitting campaign and I think that’s what we need,” said Coun Dolman.
The authority is also reminding people of the Ask Angela campaign, a national safety initiative that enables anyone feeling uncomfortable to discretely seek help from staff at licensed premises just by asking for “Angela”.
Coun Dolman said: “It’s in our licensing policy that venues are aware of it. If anyone went into licensed premises and asked for Angela I’m confident the venue would recognise that there’s an issue and step up.”
Residents can help shape where resources are deployed by raising any concerns at a multiagency public engagement event being held at St Stephen’s shopping centre on Thursday, December 11.
The Hull Story Comment
Christmas is a time for celebration and for enjoying the company of loved ones, family and friends.
It can also be a stressful period for some with the rush to be ready or coping with the extra cost.
What it should not be is a time of increased danger, but that unfortunately is also too often a feature of the festive period for those who like to go out, when excess drinking can make some people vulnerable and others prone to violence.
While the police and council officers will have a greater presence through increased patrols in our public spaces to offer reassurance and to react if things go wrong, others can also play a part by looking out for the vulnerable and reporting any issues of concern.
Thanks to one of many initiatives already in place, help should be just at hand for anyone feeling uncomfortable in or around licensed premises just by seeking out a member of staff and asking for “Angela”.
The city council is confident anyone taking this step will receive an appropriate response so we urge anyone finding themselves in that position, particularly women, to take it – or to do it on someone else’s behalf.
Men can also help create a safer environment by not giving women unwanted attention – as the new campaign coming to Hull simply says: “Just Don’t.”
So the message is clear – enjoy yourself, but responsibly, and show the best of our great city’s community spirit by helping out anyone in distress.
And spare a thought for those council workers and members of the emergency services who are working over the festive period to keep everyone else safe. Make life easier for them by not adding to their burden.
We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.