Street Pastors Offer a Helping Hand

Street Pastors is a voluntary, inter-denominational Church response to urban problems. Brought to Romford by the Havering Community Safety Partnership (HCSP), this innovative scheme aims to help curb crime and anti-social behavior through engagement, dialogue and joint working with other key local agencies such as the DAAT team.

The scheme is operated exclusively on a voluntary basis, mostly on Friday and Saturday evenings when nightlife is at its peak.

An award from the Havering Strategic Partnership’s Community Chest was used to fund training and for the purchase of essential equipment for the 13-strong team which now patrols Romford town centre. They hope to replicate the success the Street Pastor initiative has achieved at other main urban locations in the UK such as Birmingham and Manchester’s Moss Side area.