Year of Angels sees Saturday night crime in Northallerton drop by 30 percent

Source

Crime and antisocial behaviour on Saturday nights in Northallerton dropped by 30% in the year since the Street Angels scheme was introduced to the town.

The Street Angels are volunteers who patrol Northallerton on a Saturday night to provide reassurance and support for anyone in need of help.

The scheme was launched with funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, and in partnership with New Life Baptist Church, Safer Hambleton Hub, and Churches Together Northallerton, as a preventative measure to help stop situations escalating to the point where the emergency services need to intervene.

"The scheme has been a phenomenal success and is a superb example of what can be achieved through working in partnership. My thanks go to everyone involved, not least the Angels who volunteer their own time – without them it would not be possible. Alcohol consumption plays a major part in crime and antisocial behaviour, and by providing support to vulnerable people, including those suffering from the effects of drink, the Angels provide much needed help and refuge, relieving the pressure on the police service and preventing things from getting out of hand." – SERGEANT SIMON WILSON, NORTHALLERTON NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM

Over the year the Angels have come to the aid of many people, including:

• A 13-year-old girl found collapsed in a doorway. The Angels took her to their base where she was given medical treatment by ambulance staff. The girl’s parents were traced and she was taken home safely.
  
  
• A drunk woman was being pestered by a group of men who she didn’t know who wanted to take her home. The Angels came to her rescue and took her to a taxi rank where she was sent safely on her way home.
  
  
• Two girls were seen staggering down an alley with bleeding, bare feet. They were taken back to base where they received medical treatment and were given flip-flops.
  
  
• A man was found asleep in a doorway. It transpired he had travelled from out of the area and had become separated from his friends in Club Amadeus. The Angels took him back to base, gave him a warm drink and asked the club’s DJ to issue a message on the sound system. A short time later his friends turned up to collect him.

In the year prior to the launch of the Street Angels there were 43 violent crimes and five incidents of antisocial behaviour recorded on a Saturday night.

In the year from 2 July 2016 – 2 July 2017, there were 28 violent crimes and three incidents of antisocial behaviour recorded on a Saturday night.

​Total crime for the same periods was 94 incidents, followed by 66 incidents the following year.