By Mark Mackay

AN INNOVATIVE scheme aimed at helping vulnerable people and curbing late-night anti-social behaviour and violence in Perth begins this weekend.

Street pastors hit the streets tomorrow to offer support to pub-goers, clubbers and anyone in need of aid.

It is hoped the concept will help to reduce crime at key periods by up to 85%, something already achieved in 17 towns and cities in England.

First, however, the volunteers are concerned with the safety of those they meet on the street.

Each street pastor is a member of one of Perth’s churches who has decided to dedicate their weekend to seeing fellow Perth residents home safely from their night out.

All underwent a 12-week training course, which tackled anger management, health and safety, first aid, physiological training and drug awareness.

From tomorrow they will be out and about between 10pm and 3am to offer help or advice.

That help could take many forms and it is only as they settle into the roles that the volunteers will fully understand what part they can play.

From the outset, however, they will be offering practical help, such as flip-flops to assist women who can no longer walk in their high heels.

They will offer support to those who have had too much to drink and need a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen or even someone to say a prayer with.

In addition, the street pastors should be able to help people find their way home via a taxi or bus.

It is hoped they will also be able to help people who may be vulnerable or find themselves in trouble.

As they patrol central Perth, the volunteers will help to look out for people who might be in a mind to jump off Queen’s Bridge, as a number do each year.

As they find their feet, the street pastors will be out en masse before splitting into groups of three, led by a senior pastor.

They should be easy to spot as financial support from Perth Common Good Fund and the Church of Scotland has enabled them to dress in distinctive blue jackets and baseball caps.

At a commissioning service in Perth’s North Church yesterday, Tayside Police’s Inspector Jim Leslie said the scheme could benefit the force and the people of Perth.

He said the separation of roles is vital to the scheme’s success, saying revellers must feel they can trust the street pastors.

“The role of the street pastors will be very different to ours as they will have absolutely no enforcement role,” he said.

“First and foremost, they will be concerned with the safety of people they meet on the street.

“To have any other role would radically change the way they were perceived.

“They may be more approachable and they may have more time to deal with distressed people and as time goes by they will become known to city centre users and trusted by them.”

Inspector Leslie added police will work closely with the street pastors, particularly in the scheme’s initial stages.

He said, “We will give them whatever support they require, but we feel that the training they have had will be adequate to allow them to deal with most situations.”

Councillor Heather Stewart welcomed the scheme as “an excellent idea.”

She said, “In the society we live in today, people do get into problems on a night out and I think there is a need for someone else—not the police—to be out there helping.”

Fellow councillor Jack Coburn said the volunteers will need time to assess how they can best help people.

“The street pastors will settle in over the next three weeks and I think they will need to find out for themselves just what assistance they can offer,” he said.

“In my role as convener of the Perth and Kinross licensing board I will be out with them to see how they are received.”

Provost John Hulbert added, “This is a tremendous initiative and I am sure that it will go from strength to strength.”

When further training is completed, it is hoped the street pastors may also patrol on Friday evenings.