Police in Derry City & Strabane are working with partners to keep people safe in the run-up to Christmas.
Operation Season’s Greetings will ensure resources are deployed to deter and detect criminality and provide visible reassurance to the public.
Derry City & Strabane Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Nigel Goddard said: “This year will see a focus on public safety across a range of priorities including shopping, roads and transport, safety in the home and your safety when out and about and socialising. We’ve teamed up with partners to deliver guidance and ensure everyone has the best experience possible.
“We’ll be conducting patrols right across the city and District with the aim of detecting and preventing crime and reassuring communities of our aim to keep people safe.
“Our Safe Transport Team is also working closely with Translink to ensure passenger and staff safety across the public transport network at this busy time of year. Translink will also provide a range of additional late-night services to assist people to get safely home.
“Of course, we can be much more effective if we work together, so I would like people to think ahead this festive season and how they can help prevent becoming the victim of a crime. I would encourage people to go to our website (www.psni.police.uk/christmas) where they will find a range of useful crime prevention and safety advice. Whether you are planning a festive night out, considering shopping online, concerned about the best way to secure your home or if you are just not sure of the best way to contact the police, there is a wealth of information on our website which everyone will find useful.
“This year our operation will have a particular focus on violence against women and girls, therefore, we will seek to increase our presence in nightlife areas and work with the hospitality industry and other partners to improve safety in public spaces. We will also take active steps to support all victims of domestic abuse. In the past we have seen an increase in domestic abuse incidents over the Christmas period and we want all victims to know that we are here for them. If you need the police, please call us on 101, or 999 in an emergency.”
Chair of the Derry and Strabane Policing and Community Safety Partnership Alderman Darren Guy said: “We welcome the launch of the annual Operation Season’s Greetings and will continue to work with all our partners to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable festive season. We are particularly pleased that there will be a focus this year on crime against women and girls and your PCSP will play an active role in supporting this initiative.”
Jim Roddy, City Centre Manager, said: “We also welcome the launch of Operations Seasons Greetings. We recognise that a city centre that feels safe adds to the sense of wellbeing at this festive season. The retail and hospitality sectors are experiencing very challenging times, similar to the wider community, and anything that encourages people to visit the city centre is very welcome indeed."