City of Lincoln Council, alongside Lincoln BIG have launched a new Evening Ambassadors scheme as an added safety measure for anyone who feels vulnerable when walking through the city at night.
Funded by the government’s Welcome Back fund and lead by Lincoln BIG, the new ambassadors are in place to be the ‘eyes and ears’ on the streets.
ONYX Event Management, which is supplying the city with Evening Ambassadors on behalf of City of Lincoln Council and Lincoln BIG will provide this service for four months while further CCTV cameras are installed in key areas of Lincoln.
Evening ambassadors are an extra level of protection in the city, and are around to:
- Meet and greet people as they arrive in the city centre, providing information on facilities available to provide added value to their visit.
- Displace the fear of crime by escorting vulnerable people back to their cars/hotels or by putting them in a taxi etc.
- Be aware of the current safety schemes and campaigns that are currently running in Lincoln and nationally, that are available to people.
The ambassadors will also provide a highly visible uniformed presence that acts as a deterrent for crime and anti-social behaviour in the city. They will work alongside police, however are not a replacement.
They will patrol primary and secondary violent crime hotspots – with a particular emphasis on transport hubs (including car parks and taxi offices), fast food outlets and pedestrian routes out of the city centre.
Simon Walters, Director for Communities and Environment at City of Lincoln Council said: “These ambassadors will act as ‘eyes and ears’; using their radios to report anything untoward.
“They will act as a point of contact to reunite vulnerable people with their friends and refer others to Street Pastors or other services as appropriate.
“Early next year, we will also be installing more CCTV in the area as part of our Safer Streets funding.
“Lincoln is a great place to live and visit and we want both residents and visitors to feel as safe as possible when out and about in the city at night.”
Lee Roberts, Operations Manager at Lincoln BIG added: “We are pleased to be able to support this scheme and to partner with City of Lincoln Council to ensure that Lincoln is a safe and welcoming city for all who visit, live and work here.
“Already, even after only a short period of time, the relationship with Onyx Event Management is proving to be successful and the feedback received from businesses, partners and members of the public has been extremely positive and we look forward to continuing to deliver this scheme.”