Street Pastor Co-Ordinator Dave Ouston, Insp Terry Clawson, Street Pastor Alan Sargent
A group of church volunteers are being praised for their part in reducing crime on the Island’s streets.
The Isle of Wight Street Pastors are trained in working with people in vulnerable circumstances and they carried out regular patrols on Friday nights in Ryde town centre last year, as well as in Cowes during the town’s world famous sailing regatta. According to Hampshire Constabulary, there was a 43% reduction in the number of violent crimes reported in Ryde town centre on Friday nights, between June 1 and December 31 2009. Crime in the Cowes area between August 1 and 10 was down from 70 incidents in 2008 to 64 in 2009. Street Pastors are independent and do not work for the police, but the force is praising their help in preventing and calming situations where there is the potential for crime and disorder. The scheme is due to expand into Newport later in the year.