People reminded of safety initiatives as city centre gears up for Christmas

Leeds city centre is set to be busy over the festive season, with more people than normal being out at night. The increase in footfall can unfortunately also mean a higher risk of anti-social behaviour incidents or crimes, which is why the council is working closely with emergency services and trusted voluntary and community partners as part of Night Safe Leeds.

Aside from normal police presence, street marshals are out in the city centre from 12pm to 3am every weekend during December. They wear high vis orange jackets and can offer support and assistance to anyone who needs it.

The Women’s Night Safe Space is available Friday and Saturday evenings until 3am, a safe space for women who are feeling concerned, unsafe or unwell. Support on and off the mobile unit is delivered by a trained multi-disciplinary team including healthcare professionals and female security staff.

In the Freedom Quarter area, the Angels of Freedom are out most Fridays until 11pm. They provide friendly support and advice to people from the LGBT+ communities.

The WalkSafe app can help plan safer journeys and is a way to share locations with family and friends. The app also shows many of the venues signed up to the Ask for Angela scheme, which lets people discreetly signal to staff if they feel unsafe or threatened and would like assistance. Trained staff can offer help like providing a safe space or calling a taxi.

People are also encouraged to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings, for example by not leaving bags unattended or open and not placing their phone on the table when it’s not being used.

All the on-street Night Safe Leeds services can communicate and share real time information and they have a direct link to LeedsWatch, the CCTV control room.

Councillor Asghar Khan, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, said: “Nightlife is a big part of what makes Leeds the place that it is and that is particularly true at this time of year. As more people are out and about enjoying themselves in the city centre we want to make sure that people know what help and support is available to them if they need it. 

“Any form of crime is unacceptable, and everyone should be able to enjoy our city no matter what time of day or night. We want them to have fun and get home safely.

“If something doesn’t feel right there is always support around.”

To read more about what support is around visit https://leeds.gov.uk/nightsafe.

ENDS