Marshals to help police tackle yobs and drunks in town centre

Night Marshals will be out in force in Whitby this summer after the North Yorkshire force introduced a new initiative to tackle disorder and anti-social behaviour over the weekend.

Concern about raucous behaviour from large groups of men out drinking was highlighted again last year by Whitby Town Council, while residents claimed Wellington Road was rowdier than the Greek island party resort of Faliraki.

There were complaints the yobs move from pub to pub on a Saturday afternoon, drunk and swearing loudly. There were fears it was putting people off bringing their families to Whitby.

Local police Insp Mark Grange has been working closely with the Scarborough District Community Safety Partnership to introduce the Night Marshals, which will provide extra patrols to support local officers and help reduce violent crime in the town.

Insp Grange said: "Although these patrols are new to Whitby they have been operating in the Scarborough area for some time and have proved very effective at helping to reduce violent crime and disorder.

"The marshals will have direct contact with police and alert them to any potential incidents. In some cases, their presence is enough to prevent any volatile situations from escalating.

"The marshals will also provide assistance to members of the public, providing them with local information such as where to get taxis or which restaurants are open."

The patrols begin this weekend and will operate every Friday and Saturday evening between 9pm and 7am throughout August, September and December.

All the Night Marshals will wear distinctive orange and blue high-visibility jackets and will have direct radio access to the police and closed circuit TV.

The scheme has the support of the Local Licensed Victuallers Association who represent the management of licensed premises in the town.

The marshals will work closely with licensed premises and security staff working within pubs, bars and other premises to ensure the town continues to be a safe place for a night out.

Insp Grange added: "Whitby is a lovely town and attracts many visitors who come to enjoy the local attractions. It is a very safe place to live, work and visit. However, crime does happen and we will do everything we can to ensure we keep the area as safe as possible.

"We have recently experienced an increase in minor public order and assaults and the marshal scheme is one of several measures instigated under a local plan – Operation Napkin – to reduce crime in the town and rural locations.

"The operation has helped to reduce crime significantly and although we did experience an increase during in April and May, we have seen monthly crime figures fall by 30 per cent since the start of the operation. In real terms that's a reduction in from 135 offences in April to 95 in June. The introduction of the Night Marshals is a welcome addition to help us reduce crime and disorder during our busy periods when we have an influx of visitors and party-goers."

The introduction of Night Marshals in Scarborough has already been hailed as a huge success in helping reduce disorder in the town centre.

Figures released in January showed violent crime has reduced by two per cent in the area patrolled by the night marshals despite a huge increase in visitor numbers over the previous summer.

Scarborough Council also noted the marshals provided a high profile presence, frequently intervening in incidents and calling the police to offences.