CARLISLE Police and partners highlight Safer Streets Welfare Hub service as the festive season ramps up.

Launched in April 2022, the Safer Streets Welfare Hub has already supported a substantial number of vulnerable people who were out in the Carlisle City Centre night-time economy.

The Hub, which is located on Court Square next to the main entrance of the Train Station, operates within an easy to identify red gazebo, on a Saturday night between 9pm-3am.

Staffed by student volunteers from the University of Cumbria, Carlisle City Council Safer Street Officers and Carlisle’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, all staff at the hub have branded uniforms and are training in first aid, conflict resolution and safeguarding. 

The facilities at the hub include a defibrillator, drunk test strips, drink protectors to avoid spiking, drug wipes, space blankets and a phone charger for those accessing the facility. Anyone feeling vulnerable or unsafe on a night out can visit the Welfare Hub for support.

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Since opening, the hub has provided positive support including; listening to people’s safety concerns and helping them to feel safe again, organising safe transport home for women being targeted with abuse or violence on a night out, enabling people to stay warm and safe when they have been separated from friends until they are reunited or safe travel home arrives, assisting homeless people and providing basic medical attention for minor injury.

The hub forms part of the Safety of Women at Night (SWaN) project, initially funded by a successful bid from Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, to the Home Office’s SWaN Fund. The initiative is a pilot in the county. The potential for similar hubs across the county will be considered going forward.

The initiative is supported by Cumbria Constabulary, the Office of the Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Carlisle City Council and  University of Cumbria. The facility helps to support vulnerable people, women, and girls, to feel safe at night by providing a safe place anyone can attend for assistance.

Constabulary Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, Detective Inspector Matthew Belshaw said: “This initiative is important to support people, especially woman and girls, who may face unacceptable behaviour when out in the city’s night-time economy.

“Behaving in a way that makes others feel intimidated or vulnerable is not acceptable and those actions could amount to an offence. Misogyny or abuse towards women and girls needs to stop and needs to be called out by anyone who witnesses it.

“By highlighting the Welfare Hub, we hope to get people talking about the facility, so that anyone who is facing unacceptable behaviour or is feeling unsafe knows where it is and that they can access it.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Andrew Leather said:  “This facility has proven to be of huge benefit to the local community and those visiting Carlisle on a Saturday night.

“The volunteers staffing the station are a credit to themselves and the University, you can tell they are committed to making the people who attend the hub feel safe and supported.

“If anyone who is on a night out in Carlisle City Centre has been the victim of a crime or incident and is feeling vulnerable or unsafe, you can also attend the Hub and speak to one of the officers on duty who will be able to provide you with relevant police support.

“Everyone working at the Hub is there to help you, please go and see them if you need their support”.

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe on a night out which is why this hub has been set up.

“Anyone who feels vulnerable or just wants a safe place to wait at the end of the night can go along to the train station and wait with the volunteers and staff.

“The hub is a great asset to assist everyone, especially women and girls, who may feel unsafe in the city centre and I would urge anyone who is out to go along to the hub if they feel that they need help.

“Christmas is a time for celebration – enjoy your night out and stay safe.

Iain Stainton, principle lecturer in Criminology, Policing, Law and Security at the University of Cumbria said: “It is vital that we feel secure in all we do. The Safer Streets Welfare Hub is an important contributor to ensuring those of us who are enjoying the night time environment do so in the knowledge that support is available should we need to access it.

"The involvement of our students, embracing the opportunity to integrate their studies into a ‘real world’ environment, working alongside professionals from a variety of disciplines to the benefit of the wider community is a real source of pride. Placing themselves and the university firmly in the community.”

A spokesperson for Carlisle City Council spokesperson said: "As part of the funding Carlisle City Council has been able to recruit Safer Street Officers who work in partnership with the Welfare Hub. Their role is to provide reassurance and intervene where they see potential vulnerability.  

"The Welfare Hub has been working for a number of months now and has become a vital service to people using Carlisle’s night-time economy. They have helped people with minor injuries, given assistance in finding safe ways home, especially when they have become lost from friends during the evening and have no other means in getting home.

"As well as working closely with the Welfare Hub volunteers the officers also link in with the SIA door staff to offer support any persons who may have had too much to drink.

"Statistics show that you are 3 times more likely to become a victim of crime when you are under the influence of drink or drugs. By intervening early this service can reduce calls to the emergency services. The Welfare Hub provides a safe haven for people to get support or advice and the opportunity to speak to a police officer if needed.

"As part of the Safer Streets initiative to reduce violence against women and young girls (VAWG), the officers also look to identify areas of the City Centre where improvements to lighting or CCTV could assist in improving safety at night.

"The Safer Streets Welfare Hub is a great partnership service, helping to make Carlisle’s night-time economy a safer place. Thanks go to all the staff and volunteers who work in the Welfare Hub, volunteering their time during the festive period to help vulnerable people."

More information on becoming a Safer Streets welfare hub volunteer contact: andrew.leather@cumbria.police.uk

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