Safety of university students taken 'really seriously' by Worcester safe space team
It's as freshers week takes place which sees more students heading back to campus and in the night-time economy
Keeping the city safe throughout the day and night is a 'real priority', says Worcester's safer space team.
The group says it will be 'on hand' during the day and night-time throughout the full of 'freshers week' which is taking place this week and will see an increase of people in the night-time economy.
In December 2023, the Safe Space initiative, led by Worcester's Business Improvement District (BID), introduced a vehicle to the city centre during the area's busiest periods in a bid to 'enhance safety for all'.
The service was originally set-up to cover late-night patrols on Fridays, Saturdays, and student nights from 10pm–4am and other major events that were happening in the city.
In its first year, data revealed it eliminated the need for 137 ambulances by supporting individuals who might otherwise require NHS services.
It dealt with over 2,000 (2,629) medical, welfare, enquiries and incidents and saved around £70,000 (£70,623) in ambulance call-outs.
Now, it has also expanded its times so it covers between 8am-5pm seven days a week alongside the work it does in the evenings.
Worcester BID chief executive Sam McCarthy says it's had a real impact and it is so important people, especially students coming into the city, feel safe.
"We're partners with the university and we take the safety of students really seriously," she said.
"It's a big step for any student coming in, new city, new home, and that's the main thing about us, we want to make them feel at home and feel safe in the city and that they've got a place to go.
"Now with it being seven days a week though it's about that safety for everybody, not just for the night-time economy, we see a lot of vulnerability in the daytime as well so it's having that place to come and talk and feel safe."
The van celebrated its one-year anniversary last December with a grant from the Safer Worcestershire Partnership - a collaboration between Worcestershire County Council’s public health team and Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion.
It allowed the service to continue its work and expand, with its work also supported by NHS teams in the area.
Worcester BID's safer city liaison manager David Lynch says it's already shown just how much of a help it can be and that it will continue to offer as much support as it can.
It's just grown and grown," he said.
"We could be sat there just dealing with something just from a normal medical point of view but then you're also getting a lot of people just coming over just for a chat.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be about putting a plaster on someone, I've certainly found over the last six months that people would just come and open up about a lot of things and then it's a great place for us to signpost people as well."