Police activity planned as festive nights out begin

Have fun and enjoy yourself…but please don’t give yourself anything more than a hangover – that’s the message from Leicestershire Police this Christmas as the festive nights out begin.

Throughout the coming month, officers across the area will be continuing work including proactive patrols and visits to licensed premises in order to keep people safe throughout the celebrations.

The POLAMB, a vehicle which is staffed by a police officer and paramedic, will also be based in the city centre on set dates allowing a quicker and more effective response to incidents.

Social media messages will also be posted throughout the month encouraging safe and responsible drinking on nights out.

Detective Inspector Mark Parish said: “Christmas is a time to go out, have fun with your family and friends and to celebrate and that is something we want you to do.

“However as the Christmas period is approaching, we do just want to remind people to keep safe on their nights out and to drink and act responsibly. We don’t want one wrong decision or one split second loss of judgement on your night out to ruin the rest of your life.

“Put simply, our message to you is to make sure you don’t give yourself anything more than a hangover.”

Throughout the festive period, officers and staff will be working to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive alcohol, to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence and to provide quick response to incidents of violent crime on nights out.

Police will be continuing high visibility patrols throughout the area as well as working with licensed premises carrying out visits to pubs and clubs throughout the festive season.

In the city centre, passive drugs dog patrols will also continue.

Police will also be working with East Midlands Ambulance Service in the POLAMB which will be based in the city centre during nights out leading up to Christmas and New Year.

The POLAMB, which has been successfully used before in the city centre, is staffed by a police officer and a paramedic allowing a joint response to both treat people who are injured and also undertake immediate investigative enquiries at the scene of incidents.

It will be in the city centre from 10pm until 7am during the weekend before Christmas as well as on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Police officers will also be based at Leicester Royal Infirmary on set evenings during the month providing an effective response when police assistance is required or when immediate enquiries need to be carried out.

Police patrols will also be carried out in other areas of the county and social media messages raising awareness of the ongoing work will be posted on the force’s Facebook (Leicestershire Police), Twitter (@LeicsPolice) and Instagram (leicestershire_police) accounts.

Detective Inspector Parish added: “By carrying out this operational and social media activity we want to ensure we are working with you to keep Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland a safe and fun place to be over the Christmas period.

“We hope that our presence and proactive work will act as assistance to people who need us on a night out as well as a deterrent to anyone thinking about committing any kind of violence or other crime.

“Please enjoy yourself and please have fun on your nights out but please remember to ensure that it is only a hangover which you find yourself having to deal with the next day.”