Force on hand to keep party-goers safe

Officers from Derbyshire Constabulary are working hard to keep you safe if you are heading out on the town this December.

In Ripley and Amber Valley, Operation Zapster runs every Friday and Saturday night – and sees extra officers dedicated to working in popular areas for a night out.

The neighbourhood policing team is working closely with licensing officers and the council to make sure nightclubs, pubs and bars are doing everything they can to keep stop revellers from becoming victims of crime.

The local ‘pub watch’ scheme gives any licenced venue which wants one a radio, so that they have a direct line through to officers who are out on patrol. This means as soon as venue staff spot a problem, officers can be there.

Sergeant Matthew Brown, from Ripley’s Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “It’s always part of our planning to look at the most popular nights out over the festive period and make sure we’ve got plenty of officers on duty.

“I’m a southerner but I know that here, the big Christmas night out is known as ‘factory Friday’ – that’s something we factor into our planning, so we’ll have extra officers on shift and an extra van for our patrols too.

“As we make our rounds, we’ll have a chat with door staff to make sure everything’s ok, and generally make ourselves approachable for members of the public to come and talk to us.

“We’ve also been doing some work to look at how many reports of spiking are coming in, as we know that’s something people are worried about at the moment. I’m really pleased to say that isn’t a concern in our area at the moment, but it’s something we’re monitoring. It’s always a good idea to keep your drink close by if you can and report it straight away if you think something could be wrong.

“We’re here to make sure everyone can have a good time and a safe time – if people work with us by trying to stay within their limits and looking out for one another, it’s a big help.

“We hope you all enjoy your nights out over the festive period, and we’re here if you need us.”