Police launch volunteer task force to patrol nightclub dancefloors to combat ‘predatory behaviour’ and sexual assault
- Nightlife Crews will patrol dance floors across Essex between 10pm and 4am
- They will tell bouncers if patrons are too drunk or acting in a predatory fashion
- Critics claim the £30,000 trial scheme is ‘the reality of snowflakieism’
- It is being trialed in Colchester, Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend in Essex
Volunteers funded by the police are being drafted in to patrol nightclubs in an attempt to help ‘vulnerable’ revellers.
Teams of two will guard dance floors and drinking areas to combat ‘predatory behaviour’, sexual assaults and fights.
Known as Nightlife Crews, they will also tell bouncers if someone appears to have drunk too much and will help them find a taxi or locate their friends. The £30,000 scheme is being tested for 12 months in Essex and could be extended if successful. It could also be adopted by other forces.
Nightlife Crews will patrol dancefloors across several Essex towns on Friday and Saturday nights looking for people who might be too drunk or exhibiting predatory behaviour
If miscreant activity is spotted, the volunteers will warn bouncers about the situation
Volunteers wear red jumpers or hoodies with the logo ‘Here to help you’ and will work between 10pm and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays in Colchester, Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend.
Funding is shared between Essex Police, the fire service, police and crime commissioner’s office, the NHS and local businesses and charities.
The scheme was criticised online by one local who called it ‘the reality of snowflakeism’, but clubs were supportive. Dave Vickery, manager of Unit 7 in Basildon, said: ‘The biggest feedback we get is that people want to feel safe and this definitely makes them feel safer.’
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Barber said: ‘The Nightlife Crews are specially trained to spot the signs that someone may be vulnerable or that someone is showing signs of predatory behaviour.’