CREATING A SAFE NIGHT-TIMEECONOMY IN SOUTH WALES

South Wales is renownedacross the UK for boastingvibrant towns and cities andproviding a fantasticexperience for visitors andlocals alike.

Cardiff has become thevenue of internationallyprestigious events, drawingin hundreds of thousands ofvisitors from every corner ofthe world – with PrincipalityStadium in 2017 alonehaving hosted theChampions League final,international sport, andhigh-profile music gigs.

Similarly, Swansea is thehome of a Premier Leaguefootball club and a Pro 14rugby club and itself hosts top music events, while

South Wales also boasts fiveuniversities and tens ofthousands of students.

These factors all helpattract people to our night-time economies, the vastmajority of whom enjoy itresponsibly. However, somedo drink to excess, oftencombining this with illegaldrugs – a cocktail which canlead to violence, and wealso know that excessivedrinking can lead toincreased vulnerability,added pressure onemergency services, andincreased violence andsexual violence in ourcommunities.

For many years South WalesPolice has usedsophisticated andsuccessful ‘After Dark’policing strategies tomanage the night-timeeconomies of our towns andcities, and we have come tobe seen as a leader in thefield. Indeed, in November2017 our#DrinkLessEnjoyMorescheme was highlighted bythe UK Government as anarea of best practice inresponse to a House ofLords select committee

report on the LicensingAct 2003.

We work with partners todevelop myriad innovationsthat have been undertakento mitigate the harmexcessive drinking canbring, and this brochureexplains, in part, whatSouth Wales Police, thePolice and CrimeCommissioner, and ourpartner agencies, haveimplemented. We recognisethat partnership work is theonly way to achieve theoutcomes we all want, withpartnerships being greaterthan the sum of their parts.The schemes mentioned inthe following pages aredesigned to engage withpeople – customers in thenight-time economy, staff atlicensed premises, orothers who may beconcerned by the effects ofhigh levels of alcoholconsumption.

The mission of South WalesPolice is to keep SouthWales safe – not only byenforcing the law but bybetter understandingcore issues, putting inplace interventions toprevent peoplebecoming victims ofcrime and,importantly, betterrecognising how we

can protect people whenthey are at their mostvulnerable.

Because alcohol often playsa part in increasingvulnerability, we recognisewe must continue to investtime and effort in the night-time economy. It is our aimnot to penalise those whoenjoy drinking responsibly,but to protect the vulnerableand reduce criminalbehaviour associated withdrinking to excess.

We hope you find thisbrochure informative, andwe are happy to discusshow our experiences canhelp you and how yourscan help us.

Richard LewisAssistant Chief ConstableSouth Wales Police

Bonnie NavarraAssistant Police and Crime

Commissioner for South Wales

n 2/3: the proportion of victims ofviolence in parts of South Waleswho seek hospital treatment butwho do not report the incident topolice

n 3,427: number of admissionsto Help Point in its first threeyears

n £655,360: total annualsavings to other agencies as aresult of the work carried out bythe Help Point in Swansea

n 120,000: the number ofcustomers in Cardiff’s night-timeeconomy following major eventsin the capital

n 14 percentage points:increase in proportion of people,according to surveys, who know itis illegal to sell alcohol tosomeone who’s already drunk,following the introduction of thefirst phase of the#DrinkLessEnjoyMore campaign

2 Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

An introduction from ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE Richard Lewisand Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Bonnie Navarra

3Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

A range of alcohol interventionprogrammes have been implementedacross the UK – but few have focused onaddressing drinking culture.

#DrinkLessEnjoyMore was based on theunderstanding that alcohol plays animportant social role for many. Insteadof demonising alcohol it looked tochange the perception that it is sociallyacceptable to intentionally and regularlydrink to excess.

The campaign was designed to:

n Support licensees in refusing toserve alcohol to drunk people

n Support door staff in safely refusingentry to premises

n Reiterate the law around alcohol –that it is illegal to serve alcohol orbuy a drink for someone who isalready drunk

n Promote responsible drinking.

The initial campaign phase ran for sevenweeks during the 2015 Six Nationstournament and consisted of a socialmedia marketing/awareness raisingcampaign – including partnership withthe WRU – and increased policeenforcement.Phase Two of the campaign saw abroadened and redefined focus based onevaluation findings. It contained allcomponents of the first campaign, withthe addition of online training for barstaff around responsible retailing. The

course contained information to supportbar staff in refusal of alcohol to thosealready drunk. This involved workingwith evidence from the Centre of PublicHealth at Liverpool John MooresUniversity (LJMU) to identify keyindicators of drunkenness. Surveyscarried out in 2016 by LJMUdemonstrated that bars in Cardiff andSwansea had made significantimprovements in reducing the serving ofalcohol to drunks following theirengagement with the campaign.The results of on-street surveys in bothcities showed that preloading is anissue. On average, before entering thenight-time economy, people consumedsix units of alcohol at home and four enroute, the equivalent of 10 shots ofvodka. The #DrinkLessEnjoyMorecampaign in 2017 has therefore focusedmore on preloading, particularly whenaimed at those ages 18-24.

The next stage of the campaign is topromote three key messages:

n Responsible pre-loading anddrinking: #DrinkLessEnjoyMore

n Responsible travel: Help support asafe vibrant night-time economy -don’t transport drunk people

n Responsible licensing: If someone isclearly drunk, make sure they aresafe

The campaign emphasises that beingdrunk is not a good look; that they willbe refused entry to venues and that thatcould end their and their friends' nightout early if they are; and that licenseesand bar staff have a duty to safeguarddrunk people, as well as that allowingthem into their venue is a breach oftheir licence.

In 2015, the Police and Crime Commissioner and theChief Constable launched the #DrinkLessEnjoyMorecampaign to tackle excessive drinking by raisingawareness of the law.

It is now an integral part ofmanaging the consequencesof alcohol-related harm inSwansea's night-timeenvironment, which iscentred around one centralstreet, Wind Street, whichboasts 67 licensed premisesand attracts up to 20,000visitors every Saturday night,as well as being busy onWednesday nights. Joint funded by the Policeand Crime Commissioner,the Welsh Ambulance ServiceTrust and Abertawe BroMorgannwg University HealthBoard, the multi-agency-supported Help Pointoperates on Wednesday andSaturday nights, and isstaffed by St John Wales,South Wales Police officersand Police StudentVolunteers from theUniversity of Wales Trinity StDavid.If anyone is identified asvulnerable or injured,licensed premises staff inWind Street can radio theHelp Point and studentvolunteers will transportthem to the facility. 999 callsare also diverted to the HelpPoint which alleviates thedemand on public services.

About one third of the approximately 95 Help

Point admissions each monthare students, with 69% beingaged between 18 and 24. Theoverwhelming majority ofadmissions are vulnerable asa result of intoxication.

Analysis of data in the firstyear of operatingdemonstrated that there wasan 87% reduction inambulance calls to the citycentre on Wednesdays andSaturdays compared to theyear before the Help Pointbegan operating.

A Swansea University healtheconomic evaluationestimated the Help Point tohave resulted in an annualsaving of £655,460 [£414,843for ABMU Health Board(people diverted from ED),£180,224 for WAST (reducedambulance calls), and£60,293 for SWP (3,120hours saved)]

Vulnerability trainingThe night-time economy canpresent opportunity forsexual predators to takeadvantage of increased levels ofvulnerability often throughalcohol and drugs.

Analysis of data in SouthWales suggests some sexualviolence was an issue relatedto the night-time economy,and so, as a result,

vulnerability training wasadopted.Door staff, Police and NTEpartners across South Waleshave received training to helprecognise sexual predatorsand support vulnerableindividuals, resulting inpositive action on both fronts.The approach has involvedunderstanding vulnerability –including temporaryvulnerability in the context ofthe night-time economy – aswell as understandingresponses to trauma and howsexual predators operate;steps to offending; and stepsthat can be taken tosafeguard individuals.The training is designed toequip key staff and police

with the knowledge andconfidence both to assessvulnerability and initiateappropriate safeguarding;and also to identify potentialsexual predators and takepositive action against them.The training helps create aculture of zero tolerance tosexual predatory behaviourand hence helps preventserious sexual violence.

According to an independentevaluation, the projectresulted in 86.5% gaining agreater awareness of thesubject and 84.3% gaining agreater understanding of thesubject.

The FOR Cardiff businessimprovement district fundsthe training in the capital city.

The Help Point is a specialist treatment facility in Swansea city centrewhich provides care to vulnerable people who require treatment –often as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.

4 Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

5Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

Quarterly reports cross-reference data from SWP,WAST and A&E departments,helping to identify policebeats which had the highestnumber of people seekingmedical treatment as aresult of violence – allowingfor targeted interventions.It is believed this is the firsttime in South Wales thatassault location, alongsidethe residence of assaultvictim, has been mapped.Maps have also beenproduced to show when high-risk areas are likely toexperience violence.

Examples of how the reportshave been used in SouthWales:

n Reports identifieddemand on police andambulance in Swanseacity centre on Wednesdayand Saturday nights. Thiswas used to demonstratethe need for the now-established SwanseaHelp Point.

n Reports providedevidence to secure anincrease in St JohnAmbulance provisionthroughout the Cwm TafUHB area at peak times inthe night-time economy,in order to reduce theburden of violence onemergency departments.

n Reports evidenced highlevels of violence in thenight-time economy.Online responsiblealcohol retail courseoffered to bar staff inCardiff and Swansea,targeting problematicvenues but available to allbar staff across the cities.

Violence surveillance reportssuggest as many as twothirds of victims of assaultswho attend A&E in SouthWales do not report it topolice.These victims needtreatment, but for unknownreasons do not tell police,who cannot then provide aservice to them.

This prompted the launch ofHelp Us To Help You to targetvictims who do not tell to thepolice, via the use of leaflets,posters and social media.Our headline message is‘Have you been harmed?Help us to help you’.

The key messages of thecampaign are:

n No one has the right tohurt you

n If you have been thevictim of violence, nomatter who you are, howor when you were hurt,South Wales Police canhelp

n Specialist staff willsupport you

n Making contact with thepolice does not commityou to taking any furtheraction

n By reporting whathappened, you may beable to prevent ithappening again orprevent someone elsefrom being hurt

The campaign also promoteSouth Wales Victim Focus, aservice commissioned by thePolice and CrimeCommissioner to providevictims with access to staffand volunteers who offerhelp and support to anyoneaffected by crime.

It was recognised throughdiscussion with partners atlocal action groups thatdemand for this campaignextends far wider than justhospitals, as originallyanticipated, with manyvictims attending other localservices where thiscampaign could have asubstantial impact.

The materials have beendistributed widely byNeighbourhood PolicingTeams and our partners,using the data to identifythose who are more at risk.Promoted social mediamessages have targetedspecific demographics.

The project is part of an ongoing collaboration established in April 2014between Public Health Wales (PHW), South Wales Police (SWP), South WalesHealth Boards and the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST).

Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

Through collaborationbetween the Police andCrime Commissioner,Drinkaware, and students’unions, the Crew help raiseawareness of sexualharassment and supportingthose who are vulnerable,usually through excessivedrinking.Working in pairs, Crewmembers introducethemselves to customers,patrol high-risk areas suchas toilets, and ensurecustomers leave the venuesafely. In 2016-17, Crewundertook 522 activities.Crew liaise with St JohnAmbulance and streetpastors, and with securitystaff, including in instances

of suspected sexualharassment. Thanks to Crew,we have also gained aninsight into student drugmisuse.Crew operates within CardiffUniversity Students' Union,Cardiff MetropolitanUniversity-affiliated externalvenues in Cardiff city centreand Swansea UniversityStudents' Union.

Wouldn’t Shouldn’tCampaignAccompanying the first termof the Crew scheme wasDrinkaware-fundedcampaign Wouldn’tShouldn’t.Focusing on tackling theproblem of groping and

sexual harassment in thenight-time economy, itgained significant tractionamong 18 to 24-year-olds viasocial media and cinemaadvertising.Phase Two encouragedpeople on nights out to lookout for anyone being sexuallyharassed, telling them: ‘Ifyou see someone beingharassed on a night out, it’s

ok to ask if they are ok’.It aims to encourage youngpeople to look out for eachother, including strangers; toprovide support to peoplewhen they experienceharassment; and toemphasise that sexualharassment is not tolerated.

Student safety busThe Student Safety Bus is ascheme where a leased bus,staffed by a Police Officerand Police StudentVolunteers, patrols the cityand reacts to calls from doorstaff, licensed premises,street pastors, the AlcoholTreatment Centre andambulance staff.Vulnerable people are takento a safe place, which couldbe the Alcohol TreatmentCentre. They will be given awristband with a ‘How do youget home’ QR code, whichlinks to a website explainingthe service. During Freshers 2017(September 15 to October 1)there were 28 Safety Busshifts staffed. An averageshift takes at least 10persons to a place of safety,although on busy nights withtwo buses operating this canrise to 50 a night.

The Drinkaware Crew initiative was introduced in September 2016, part of a response to a series of sexual assaults committed in Cardiff during the previous year s Freshers Fortnight.

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7Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

Businesses, organisations and individuals who want to sell orsupply alcohol in England and Wales must have a licence orother authorisation from a licensing authority.And with more than 4,500licensed premises in theSouth Wales Police forcearea, our partnership-ledpolicing approach tolicensing is key toaddressing alcohol-relatedissues that contribute toanti-social behaviour andcrime.

To ensure a consistentapproach is adopted acrossSouth Wales, a traffic lightsystem (TLS) – an earlyintelligence tool to identifyproblematic premises – ofthe management oflicensed premises has beenadopted.

The TLS collectsinformation on the time,place and nature of alcohol-related crime and disorder,which is then analysed toallocate points relating to

the type and severity of therecorded incident to eachpremises. The premises inquestion are thencategorised as either red,amber or green.  Toencourage goodmanagement of premises,positive points can beawarded where it is evidentthat it is going above andbeyond what is expected.However, the large majorityof premises will not featurewithin the TLS, indicatingthat they are being runsafely and effectively.The colours within the TLSdemonstrate the following:

l Green – Proactivepartnership engagementwith premises tointervene early andaddress issues to prevent escalation

l Amber – Informal action– Creation of an actionplan that outlines areasfor improvement, whichis monitored andreviewed by police andpartner agencies

l Red – Formal action.This is normally as aresult of the failure toevidence animprovement in the waythe premises is beingrun, and a continuanceor escalation in thenumber and severity ofincidents. Furthersupport is offered toencourage improvement,although this rating willlikely result in thepreparation of evidenceto be heard by thelicensing authority toconsider a review of the

conditions of the licence– or, in the most seriouscases, full revocation ofthe licence.

The TLS is part of ouroverall approach tolicensing activity, includingcrime prevention, which isclearly set out in ourLicensing Strategy andDelivery Plan 2017-2019and is closely aligned to theWelsh Governmentframework for managingthe night-time economy.

We know that developing abetter understanding of thenight-time economy willenable us to implementpreventative measures andto intervene in a supportiveand robust way to reduceharm and vulnerabilityassociated with alcohol.

8 Creating a Safe Night-Time Economy in South Wales

CARDIFFAFTER DARKHaving run every Friday and Saturday night for more than adecade, Cardiff After Dark is South Wales Police s approachto policing the capital city s night-time economy effectively.After Dark, which is also ineffect for other nights whenhigher numbers areexpected in the city centre,involves increased high-visibility patrols to providereassurance and effectiveresponses to any alcohol-related incidents.Officers are redeployedfrom elsewhere within theCardiff Basic CommandUnit to support the city-centre officers. There arethree patrol zones where

officers are allocated to static and foot

patrol. High visibility patrolshelp identify where violenceand disorder has thepotential to start, as well asprovide reassurance tomembers of the public.

The After Dark strategy canbe divided into fourcategories of tactics –pursue, prevent, protectand prepare. All involveclose work with partneragencies and specifictargeted tactics.

Officers’ presence isdesigned not only to stop,

wherever possible, criminaloffences and anti-socialbehaviour from beingcarried out, and to dealrobustly with any suchinstances when it is, butalso to be alert tovulnerability and tointervene whereappropriate to protect thosewho are vulnerable and whomay be unable to protectthemselves fromexploitation or harm.The overall intention is toprevent disorder via earlyand measured

interventions, supported byclose working relationshipswith other agencies – fromstreet pastors to doorstaff/security.

As well as the fulloperations on Fridays andSaturdays, smaller-scaleAfter Dark operations takeplace on Monday andWednesday nights.

The model has beensuccessfully replicated inother towns and citiesacross the force area.