A TOP Government official has been out on the streets of Huddersfield seeing at first hand how officers deal with weekend revellers.
Home Office regional director Jacqui Lewis, from the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, was in the town centre last night.
She saw West Yorkshire Police’s current Operation Maximum Impact in action, especially how officers deal with violent crime, anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related incidents.
Neighbourhood Policing Team officers and special constables carry out high-visibility patrols in the town centre from early evening to meet people and encourage them to behave and drink responsibly.
Later in the evening, officers work alongside Taxi Marshals and the Street Angels to deal with people who have drunk too much.
Special constables go into the pubs and clubs looking for under-age drinkers.
A large electronic billboard is in the town centre, providing people with crime prevention advice on how to stay safe and drink responsibly.
Operation Maximum Impact has been running throughout February to crack down on criminals across the region. Police in West, South and North Yorkshire, along with Humberside, are working together this month for a series of operations.
Huddersfield Chief Insp Vincent Firth said: “Last night was an opportunity to display the co-ordinated intelligence-led approach we have in Kirklees in relation to dealing with the issues surrounding the nightlife in Huddersfield. Central to its success is a direct liaison with our partner agencies.
“Under-age drinking and the misuse of alcohol are key factors in both anti-social behaviour and violent crime, as offenders who are drunk and disorderly often go on to commit further offences.
“Analysis shows that incidents of violent crime and anti-social behaviour increase each Friday and Saturday evening in town centres throughout Kirklees. The fear of crime, and particularly violent crime, is also strongly associated with people emerging drunk from licensed premises.
“To counter this, we focus on the ‘hotspot’ areas for disorder. These are usually where taxi ranks are situated and also on streets where there are large numbers of licensed venues.
“As part of Operation Maximum Impact, we ensure that high-visibility foot patrols are deployed in these hotspot areas to deter and prevent any signs of crime and disorder.’’
