Street Pastors Could Head North of the Border

The Street Pastors initiative could soon head to Scotland if the proposal for a pilot scheme in Perth gets the green light from the city council.

The idea for Scotland's first Street Pastor scheme has been put forward by retired businessman Michael Archibald in a bid to cut alcohol-fuelled incidents in the Fair City, reports the Aberdeen Press and Journal.

If the bid gets the go ahead, volunteers will be trained up to meet and counsel people before taking to the streets of Perth in pairs, between the hours of 11pm and 4am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Street Pastor schemes are already running in London, Manchester and Birmingham among other places, where they help diffuse fights, offer practical support to distressed individuals or simply lend a friendly ear or shoulder to cry on.

He admitted that Perth was not the worst city for street crime in Scotland but said it would provide a good testing ground for the Street Pastors initiative.

If the Perth scheme is a success, it could see the Street Pastors initiative rolled out across more towns and cities in Scotland.

Mr Archibald said: "We're not just a bunch of do-gooders who think we can change the world, but we do think there is a need for trained volunteers working in the city centres to interact with the public and provide a listening ear or a helping hand.

"The majority of trouble arises from alcohol-fuelled aggression or sheer frustration and if we can help to diffuse any potential flashpoints by talking to them and calming down heated situations then it's a worthwhile role.

"We're not going out to preach. We aim to build bridges with the community and let the Friday and Saturday night crowds know that they can talk to us and trust us."

The initiative has already won the tentative support from the Tayside police.

The Perth-based Tayside Police divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Matt Hamilton, welcomed the prospects of the Street Pastors initiative launching in the city.

"Although Perth has far fewer street crime issues than most other large cities in Scotland, we do welcome any properly coordinated schemes to help police tackle the unpredictable nature of alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder," he said.

The creator of the international Street Pastors scheme, the Rev Les Isaacs, has also given the Perth pilot his backing.

And even local publican Grant Ross, assistant manager of the Foundry, said that, while Perth was not the worst city for antisocial behaviour, the new scheme might help keep the status quo.

Mr Ross said: "Perth is probably a good place to try it, to see if it could then work in a place with more trouble."

No date has been set to get pastors out on the streets of the city. Mr Archibald will concentrate now on winning the support of Perth's executive, councils, police and other bodies for help with the funding.