Council and Romford BID team-up to run street triage team
Havering Council and Romford BID have teamed-up to run a street triage team in Romford on Friday and Saturday nights.
The team, consisting of two medics and a security guard, offers support to injured or unwell people on nights out in the town centre.
They act as a first response for police, pub staff, restaurant staff and street pastors who work to keep the town centre safe on weekends.
As the roadmap out of lockdown continues, the team will play a key role in keeping people safe on nights out, and reduce the amount of unnecessary ambulance trips, freeing up important NHS resources.
The scheme is partly funded by Romford BID, an organisation working to improve Romford town centre for visitors and businesses.
Councillor Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“We are very proud to be running this scheme to help make sure everyone is having a safe and enjoyable time on nights out. Romford has a brilliant range of pubs and restaurants that many people enjoy every week.
“The street triage team will not only play a crucial role in helping people, they will also be helping ensure police officers’ time is freed up to focus on tackling crime and that ambulances are not unnecessarily called to the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights.
“It’s a great example of partnership working and I would like to thank Romford BID for their continued hard work in creating a safer Romford."
Julie Frost, Director of Romford BID, said:
"The goal of the Romford BID is to make Romford a great place to live, work and play. In partnering with Havering Council to fund a street triage team, the BID hopes to attract more people to come and visit our town centre by ensuring that the environment that visitors come into is one that is safe and secure for all.
“It is important to recognise that having a broad range of bars and restaurants is only one part of encouraging visitors to come and invest in our night time economy.
"Being able to enjoy this environment knowing that there are services available to support people should they get into difficulty is also crucial when trying to create a truly great space."