Street patrol volunteers increase hours in towns

Kettering Street Pastors are part of the Safer Streets Summer initiative

Volunteers who have increased their hours to keep people safe at night in two towns have been praised by a county's police fire and crime commissioner.

Danielle Stone, Northamptonshire's commissioner, said volunteers with the Northampton Guardians and Kettering Street Pastors had pledged more than 300 combined extra hours.

The charities' helpers patrol streets, usually on Friday and Saturday nights, to provide practical help to people on a night out.

Gill Goodship, a Northampton Guardian, said its team had worked "tirelessly this summer" and it would continue to "keep supporting others in vulnerable situations while preventing harm and risks from escalating".

Northampton Guardians have helped people who were celebrating A-Level results night

Stone said both groups used customised minibuses to offer warmth, water, phone charging facilities, first aid and emotional support, as part of the Home Office's Safer Streets Summer initiative across England and Wales.

The initiative has been actioned locally through the commissioner's office and Stone said both charities "have made a real difference this summer making our towns feel safer".

"Volunteers play a vital role in supporting policing by acting as the eyes and ears of their communities," she said.

The Guardians had volunteered about 4,000 hours so far this year and the Street Pastors more than 1,000, she added.

Safer Nights Out vans operate in Kettering and Northampton

Northampton Guardians, which started in 2021, has a team of 15 volunteers and operates on a Friday and Saturday night near Bridge Street.

The Kettering Street Pastors have been operating for 13 years and its volunteers patrol the town centre every Saturday night until 03:00.

Scott Barber, a Kettering Street Pastor, said: "We proudly work in Kettering to help people enjoying a night out stay aware, stay together and get home safe."

Kerry Purnell, North Northamptonshire Council's assistant director for communities and leisure, said: "Working with our partners to make our streets safer is a priority for us and we would like to thank all of the volunteers who have given so much of their time to this cause."