18 December 2008
Free bottles of water and lollies are being handed out to late-night Christmas revellers across the Caerphilly county borough in a bid to cut alcohol related disorder and anti social behaviour.
The Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership hope that by handing out bottles of water and lollies to late-night revellers in the run-up to Christmas and New Year, this will help to curb drunken clashes at closing time and encourage responsible drinking.
The scheme has proved extremely successful in many other areas of the UK, and it is hoped that the same will be true for the Caerphilly county borough.
Caerphilly County Borough Council's Community Safety Wardens have been handing out bottles of water and lollies to partygoers in Caerphilly and Blackwood town centres on weekend nights – it is hoped the idea, funded through the Home Office's "Tackling Violent Crime" initiative, will help members of the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership form positive relationships with partygoers, pacify drunken behaviour and stop rowdiness.
In addition, water is vital for rehydration after consuming alcohol, as well as being a vital component in regulating blood sugar levels.
This work is just part of a multi agency campaign currently running in the Caerphilly county borough, entitled "Don't drink and fight – enjoy your night". The overarching aim of the campaign is to work towards ensuring that instances of violent crime and disorder throughout the borough are minimised over the Christmas and New Year period.
In addition to an increase in high visibility patrols by Gwent Police officers and Caerphilly Council's Community Safety Wardens, CCBC's mobile CCTV van will be dispatched to various anti social behaviour "hotspot" locations to monitor and record any disorder that may occur.
Posters, beer mats and bar runners depicting the "Don't drink and fight – enjoy your night" message have also been distributed to bars and pubs throughout the borough, and bar staff have also been provided with t-shirts depicting this important message.
A series of radio adverts have also been launched to promote the campaign.
Cllr Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for the environment said, "This excellent multi agency campaign reinforces the importance of encouraging responsible drinking of alcohol, not only over the Christmas and New Year period, but all year round.
Christmas is a time for fun and enjoyment, but unfortunately it can also be a time that, primarily due to an increase in alcohol consumption, tempers can flare resulting in an increase in disorder and general disturbances.
The scheme whereby bottles of water and lollies are handed out to partygoers has proved extremely successful in many other areas throughout the UK, and hopefully the same will be true for the Caerphilly county borough.
I am full of praise for such schemes, and the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership which works tirelessly to make the county borough a safe place for everyone to live, work and visit."
Inspector Alan Webber said, "The campaign is primarily aimed at reducing violent crime and to build on the crime reduction success of previous years. It aims to reduce violent crime through education, prevention, intervention and enforcement. We are working with the licensing trade and other partners to minimise the problems caused by a small minority of people."
Community Safety Manager, Howard Rees said, "The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of alcohol related problems and ensure that people have a safe and trouble-free night. Although we want people to enjoy themselves over the Christmas period, we also want them to know their limits and to think about their own personal safety and the safety of others."
The Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership is a multi agency organisation, whose five statutory bodies are Caerphilly County Borough Council, Gwent Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, Caerphilly teaching Local Health Board and Gwent Police Authority. It works to reduce levels of crime, disorder, anti social behaviour and fear of crime in the local area.
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