Enhanced City Centre Plan
A safety initiative, part financed by Glasgow Community Planning Partnership (GCPP), has ensured being out and about in the city centre is now safer, more fun with less chance of violence.

That’s the encouraging findings following the first six months of the Enhanced City Centre Plan that saw investment from GCPP, through Community Regeneration Funds, Glasgow Council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde boosting the number of police on the beat in Glasgow’s city centre.

Since 27 additional police were on duty in the specified area over the Friday and Saturday nights when Glasgow can see up to 70,000 people visit the city centre, we have seen a:

• 38% reduction in serious assault
• 13% reduction in robberies
• 42% reduction in number of prostitutes arrested
• 50% reduction in number of arrests for public indecency
• 11.4% reduction in reported road accidents
• 100% increase in number of operational police officers deployed on Friday & Saturday evenings
• 34.67% increase in acts of disorder reported to the Procurator Fiscal Service
• Increase of CCTV coverage
• Increase of CCTV ‘Help Points’
• Improved transport network
• Distribution of 100,000 leaflets giving information about taxi ranks
• Distribution of 20,000 bus timetables for Nite Zone
• Introduction of Lane Gating / improved lighting with no reported crime in the pilot area
• Introduction of Taxi Marshalls
• Planned introduction of Mobile Police Office

Before the Enhanced City project a typical weekend night would see 25 officers managed by two sergeants and one inspector now you can expect to see an average of 60 officers each evening. The number of additional hours of deployment thanks to the additional £300,000 funding by GCPP and other partners is 8,500 hours.

The people of Glasgow have also noticed the difference made by the additional resources being deployed. Students Kevin Hutchison and Rachel Miller, both 21, feel reassured to have the high police profile and an added bonus is having PCs Alastair Rennie and Kenneth Goodwin around to point them in the right direction.
 
Kevin Hutchison believes the increased police presence has meant less chance of violence. He says: “The fact that there are so many police around every weekend makes you feel safer and you can see an improvement in the atmosphere and behaviour, especially in the early hours when the clubs are emptying.”
 
Rachel Miller from Northern Ireland echoes that view. The second year Glasgow University medical student says: “I feel really comfortable in and around the city centre, even late at night. There is a good friendly feeling and in my time here I think Glasgow is a real welcoming safe city.”