Staffordshire Police have appealed to the public to have a safe and Happy New Year.
Tonight thousands of people across Staffordshire will be celebrating the start of a New Year, however for some, 2013 will begin in a police cell. Alcohol will play a significant part in the many of the incidents police attend tonight and officers are promising to continue to take positive action against those involved in violence.
Chief Inspector Jeff Moore said: “Additional officers will be on duty across the county tonight to deal with incidents in both residential areas and town centres. “We really do want people to celebrate the New Year, but we want to do so responsibily. The amount of alcohol they consume tonight could have a bearing on the outcome of the night and the start of 2013.
“We will deal with a number of domestic incidents tonight where both people involved will be affected by alcohol. These incidents often could have been avoided if those involved had drunk less.”
Staffordshire Police treats violent incidents, and domestic abuse, very seriously and always strives to offer safeguarding measures for victims and prosecute offenders. Domestic abuse is any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse, whether psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional, between people aged 16 years and over, who are or have been intimate partners regardless of gender or sexuality.
Chief Inspector Moore added: “The affect alcohol has on violence is clearly demonstrated by the state of those we deal with on nights like tonight. On the Friday before Christmas we posted live updates from the custody site on how alcohol affects people on our web site. These updates clearly showed that the behaviour of the majority of people we dealt with was affected by alcohol.”
The SaferNightsLive event can still be replayed by visiting www.staffordshire.police.uk/safernightslive . Over 1,400 people watched some of the event on the night and since then a further 1,400 have replayed the event.
Anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse is encouraged to report it to the police.
There are many organisations who offer help and advice for victims and perpetrators. Contact details can be found at www.staffordshire.police.uk/itsneverok
