Trailer takes safety out on our streets

SOS is being given a new meaning in Thanet, as the Safety on our Streets (SOS) trailer, a mobile unit with rooms for interviews, counselling and treatment of minor injuries goes out around the area at night.

It is being run by the Thanet Community Safety Partnership and will be out on selected Friday and Saturday nights over the next few months up until October, as it is piloted across the area. It is hoped that it will save valuable time that it takes the service providers to get to those in need after a night out, by providing a base for people to work from.

Decorated in a vibrant yellow and orange colour scheme, the SOS trailer will be easy to spot on the streets of Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate. Its first outing will be to Margate Old Town by the Wig and Pen on Saturday 24 July, with it then heading to Pierremont Park car park in Broadstairs for Folk Week on Friday 6 August. On each night, it will be out from 7pm at night until 1am the following morning.

People enter through an information area, where you will be greeted by staff, including the community pastors. This is a scheme that has worked well in other parts of the country, helping to make people feel safer and reduce crime. All staff manning the SOS trailer will be available to speak to people and offer advice.

The SOS trailer has a treatment room for paramedics to deal with minor injuries, interview rooms where police staff can question people or people can speak to police about issues that may have concerned them during their night out. There will also be a counselling room where a sexual outreach worker will be available to help people.

Cllr. Chris Wells, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “The SOS trailer quite simply means we take services out to people, at the times when they need them. It’s one of the key ways we’re aiming to tackle the invidious problem of violence in the night-time economy, which remains one of our priorities across Thanet. We want people to come and have a safe night out at the area’s pubs and clubs. We know that, in other areas where it has been tried, this approach improves people’s perceptions of the safety and security on offer to ensure they enjoy their night and get home safely, without disturbance to local residents.”

District Commander, Chief Inspector Mitchell Fox, said: “The SOS trailer is a great example of the police working with the council and our partners to come up with an innovative solution to a problem for the community. We hope this trailer will help to build public confidence and make people on a night out feel safer. The SOS trailer will allow us to reach out to the community. We’ll have people available to give immediate help, relieving pressure on existing services, such as the A&E department.”

The SOS trailer will also be in the Pier Yard car park, opposite Miles bar in Ramsgate on Saturday 21 August, Friday 3 September and Saturday 18 September. On Friday 1 October, it will then return to the Pierrement Park car park in Broadstairs.