Southampton Street Pastors went live 6 months ago, in May 2009. Since then we've carried out 62 patrols.

We are very grateful for the warm welcome we have received from the police, door staff, and the taxi marshalls. And of course members of the public, who all seem to want us to pose for a photo!

Its great to be part of the team.

Each night the patrol covers London Road, Bedford Place and Above Bar. We are there to listen, care, and help. Most of the time its all fun and simply a matter of having a smile and a joke or giving directions to places. 

There always seem to be a few people who've had a lot to drink and each night we get called in to help an average of 3 people who are suffering from excess alcohol. The following table shows the kind of help we give.

Summary of Activity for October 2009

Patrols	Drunk1	Injured2	Friends / Transport3	u164	Bottles5	Glass6	Flip flops7
October	29	13	15	2	418	46	107
Year to Date (62 duties)	169	45	80	12	1813	211	573
Average per duty	3	1	1	<1	28	3	9

NOTES

1 Number of people drunk and in need of some form of assistance.
2 Number of injured people given assistance. Not including people vomiting.
3 Number of people assisted to locate their group of friends or assisted to get home.
4 Persons under 16 sighted in city centre and reported to police.
5 Bottles or glasses picked up from the street. Does not include broken glass swept up.
6 Number of times broken glass was swept up.
7 Number of people walking in bare feet who were given flip flops

Our prayer supporters at street pastor HQ are a vital part of the team. They pray generally for peace and safety in city centre. They are also on hand to support the team by praying specifically for any challenging situations that arise during the night.

Over the last two months we have on several times noticed people behaving suspiciously in the parks and have been able to notify the police.

Our full report for October 2009 is attached to this page.