Caerphilly Street Pastors
Last Saturday night was a little bit different for me. At 10pm, I went out with the Caerphilly Street Pastors. We met young people outside of a number of the public houses in the town and the fully-trained Street Pastors, who I accompanied, gave out flip-flops to young women who were having difficulty coping with their high heels, bottles of water to dehydrated revellers and lollipops to those who felt they needed a sugar rush. Pastors were also at hand to be generally helpful and supportive.
I finished my stint at 1am but the Caerphilly Street Pastors were continuing their ‘patrol’ until 2am. Last Saturday was a pretty quiet night with no disturbances or fights taking place that I was aware of. But not every Saturday is like this and on occasions, Street Pastors play an important role in defusing situations and just having a quiet chat with people who might be about to behave aggressively. Throughout the night, we maintained close contact with the Police who were patrolling Cardiff Road as well as the door staff of the various public houses, all of whom had the highest regard for the Street Pastors.
When I went home, I reflected on my Saturday out. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Street Pastors deserve our full support. The 19 Caerphilly volunteers, who take it in turn to patrol in groups of 4, are drawn from the various Christian Places of Worship in Caerphilly. But what you won’t see is any of the Street Pastors ‘lecturing’ young people; what you will see is the Street Pastors effectively engaging with the young people and giving practical advice and support. And, what was perhaps surprising, was that the young people themselves appreciated what the Street Pastors were doing and respected them for it.
In many parts of the Borough, Street Pastors are regularly to be seen. I sincerely hope that those towns without Street Pastors, like Bargoed, will soon be able to have the benefit of their work.
To find out more about the Caerphilly Street Pastors, visit www.caerphilly.streetpastors.org.uk
Wayne David
Labour MP for Caerphilly