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.