Police support street drinking scheme (From Essex County Standard)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECS to 80360, or email »
Police support street drinking scheme
9:58am Thursday 14th February 2013 in News
A SCHEME to curb Colchester’s street drinking problem is being supported by police.
Colchester Council has released £15,000 for an outreach worker as part of a plan to get drunks off town centre streets during the day.
The scheme includes a permanent “wet zone” monitored by the April Centre, which provides assistance for the homeless, where they can drink without hassle.
Insp Jim White, who played a key role in the nine month pilot scheme, said: “Street drinkers did attend the April Centre and while doing this they were not in the public view or committing crime on the streets.
“By it’s very existence the April Centre provided a place for our street drinkers to go."
See the full story in Friday's Gazette.
