Playing safe

Adam Withrington finds that the Manchester City Centre Safe scheme is having a positive impact, due in no small part to the spirit of partnership.

It is a nippy night in Manchester and I am out on a patrol of Manchester city centre with Greater Manchester Police.

I am sitting in the back of a police transit van, feeling distinctly like a felon, and Sergeant Tim Whitaker is talking me through his daily patrol routine.

Suddenly a woman flags us down and quickly jabbers some information about a strange man emptying some suspicious goods into a bin. The officers leave the van and me on my own. What could it be? Weapons or drugs, I think excitedly. It turns out to be a false alarm and we drive on.

As we continue we pass several well-known areas of the city, such as Canal Street - the heart of Manchester's famed gay village (pictured top)​ - and one thing stands out: every door supervisor is a friendly face who waves or shouts a greeting to Sgt Whitaker and his colleagues.

This may seem a strange thing to pick out but my impression of the relationship between doormen and the police has never been a positive one. The stereotypical view is that there was mutual distrust, with the traditional "bouncer" accused of unregulated, commercially-driven behaviour; their interests often in opposition to those of the police. But what I saw in Manchester challenged those views and really highlighted the reason why the Manchester City Centre Safe scheme is so successful: because there is full and far-reaching partnership.

The scheme has its roots in the desire to rid Manchester of its tag as a dangerous place to go out, where drunken fights can be seen on every corner. Starting with a bylaw that banned drinking on the streets, the scheme has evolved into a large, highly organised system designed to put a stop to late-night disorder.

Management inside and outside premises has been improved and so have standards of late-night transport. Door supervisors and bus marshals are joined to a special Nitenet radio system, which allows all concerned to contact police if any problems occur inside or outside premises.

It allows, for example, door supervisors to forward the details of a group of troublemakers who have just been ejected from a bar to other door supervisors and police across the city.

As a result, major assaults have been reduced for three years running, with only five per cent of assaults considered to be serious. Two years ago that figure was 12.5 per cent.

Inspector Steve Greenacre, who heads City Centre Safe, explains: "We get everybody who has a stake in the night-time economy together. We look at the whole range of issues from what people do before they leave their homes, when they leave their homes, how they travel into the city centre, what pubs they choose, what they drink in there, the physical environment of the pub and club, binge-drinking issues and how people get home afterwards. "It's incredibly ambitious but we look at the whole picture and you have to do that if you are going to make any difference."

Back on patrol we visit the multi-million pound CCTV centre. The facility is like something out of The X-Files, with wall-to-wall TV screens and hi-tech equipment. At the back of the room a police officer monitors the screens. If there are any problems the officer can radio local patrols and get them on the scene in minutes. And yet disorder is always a threat. One camera focused on the Deansgate area of the town (pictured)​ shows a young man aggressively brandishing a plank of wood. He is quickly dealt with.

The partnership works because it is not only the police who wish to look at the bigger picture. So do other interested parties, such as licensees, trade associations and drinks companies. They realise how much damage alcohol-related violence does to themselves, the night-time economy and to the reputation of the city.

Inspector Greenacre adds: "The Best Bar None scheme, which is a competition to find Manchester's safest bar, had media partners like the Manchester Evening News and Century FM radio.

"We have also been doing a lot of work with drinks brands, like Budweiser. They're worried about the lack of control they have over irresponsible retailers and we're worried about the consequences of people using those premises. So we have common interests."

So what of the future for the scheme? There are new ideas being put into place such as taxi marshals and the alcohol referral scheme (see below). However, from my conversations with Inspector Greenacre and Sgt Jan Brown, who also heads the scheme, the task they are really steeling themselves for is to try and rid Manchester city centre of the saturation of late-night, "nightclubby" venues which line the streets, many of which close down almost as soon as they have opened.

Sgt Brown says: "One of the main reasons so many places are going under is that they are the same as everywhere else. So we will discuss a range of options with them, such as having an extra hour on their public entertainment licence but only serving food and soft drinks and breakfasts, which can be hugely profitable. As well as that they could offer a concierge service, so that a cab will be at the door when people are ready to leave.

"What better way of keeping customers in your venue? People will come back because they have enjoyed their night and haven't had that two-and-a-half hour wait in the freezing cold for a taxi."

Inspector Greenacre hopes licensees will continue to talk to the police and build on the relationship that has been fostered since City Centre Safe began. "Everybody realises that the situation has gone too far and we have to find a different way. Licensees are more aware that they have to work with the police if they want to achieve anything nowadays.

"The same is true with the police. There was a 'them and us' attitude. Pubwatch is an important part of it. It is the only forum that is actually owned by the pub trade. It is a vital means of communication between licensees and the police. However, it's only one part of a much bigger picture."

What the trade says​

• Steve Higham, manager of Barca, Castlefield:​
  "We have only joined up with City Centre Safe recently. I can see there is a real partnership between licensees and the police."

Lee Le Clercq, British Beer & Pub Association (North):​
"The scheme is doing a good job, it has a super profile and every city should have one. What it does is great."

Making the city safer​

• Night buses:​ Night buses now run until 3am and each has a designated bus marshal who monitors queues and maintains order.

A new taxi marshal system is about to come into operation.​ These marshals will monitor taxi queues in the city centre.

CCTV:​ A new multi-million pound facility is in operation in the city centre. It provides 24-hour surveillance of the "hot spots" in Manchester city centre.

Alcohol referral scheme:​ City Centre Safe is looking to intervene and help people who are persistent alcohol misusers. According to Sgt Jan Brown: "We give these people support, make them more aware of what they are doing and try to give them a way out."