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Triage team keeps revellers safe

A triage tent to help those injured during a night out on the tiles or suffering from the effects of too much alcohol is being deployed on Saturday nights as part of a range of measures to keep people safe.

The pop-up medical tent has been put up outside the Theatre Royal to make sure people are seen quicker and receive treatment for minor issues there rather than being taken to Derriford emergency department by ambulance or police car. As well as Saturday nights, it will be there on additional nights during high demand periods over the summer and beyond. 

Over the first two weekends the team dealt with 45 people ranging from suffering from the effects of too much alcohol to cuts. They were brought in to be treated by police officers and street pastors, who were then able to get back out patrolling, knowing the person is in safe hands.

The tent is the result of partnership working between Plymouth City Council, Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon Clinical Commissioning Group who have funded the scheme.

Sgt Dave Moore, the city’s licensing officer said: “It’s been great for us. If we have to take people up to hospital that’s our teams off the streets for hours. It means we can carry on with our duties and patrols. It also frees up our colleagues at South West Ambulance Service and it means those who need help get treated quickly.”

The tent is staffed by trained paramedics from the Alliance Pioneer Group, meaning no staff from either the hospital or the ambulance service are taken away from their core work.

The paramedics are able to treat people straight away in a safe and calm environment. In a few weeks the tent will be replaced by a safe zone bus, which will be on standby for action into the Autumn and key nights such as Bonfire night and the Christmas party season.

A task force dedicated to helping people enjoy Plymouth’s nightlife safely is already out and about in the city’s hot spots: Plymouth Hoe and Barbican, Mutley Plain and North Hill and Plymouth City Centre and Union Street.

The city’s late night task force has been funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner under its ‘hotspot’ funding and has enabled more PARC marshals to be on patrol, mainly on Friday and Saturday evenings, to nip any anti-social behaviour in the bud and to provide support to visitors, residents and business as well as support emergency services.

There are also taxi marshals and street pastors on hand to help people get home safely and there’s also a CCTV vehicle on the streets in addition to the additional CCTV operatives working the network of fixed cameras.

Deputy leader of the Council, Councillor Patrick Nicholson, who is also responsible for health and adult social care said: “We are all working together to keep people safe. We want people to go out and enjoy themselves, we want people to spend money in our fantastic bars, pubs and restaurants, but some drinkers think they need to make up for lost time and drink too fast and too hard.

“Making Plymouth feel like a safe place in the evenings is crucial to a thriving night time economy, an industry hard-hit by the pandemic, and this initiative also supports our very busy hospital.  We are keeping an eye on issues and nipping loutish behaviour in the bud before it spoils other people’s nights out and are helping to keep people out of our hospital and of ambulances as far as we can.

“We’ve been really, really pleased so far with the relatively low amount of trouble.”

OPCC funding is also enabling the Council’s Youth team to put on a range of fun activities for young people aged 11 to 19 year olds, keeping them occupied and out of trouble.

Summer safe