Project aims to make Great Yarmouth more welcoming

A task force to tackle anti-social behaviour has taken to the streets of Great Yarmouth with the aim of making the town centre more welcoming.

As part of the scheme, three police officers will work alongside enforcement and environmental officers in a bid to provide a reassuring presence and challenge street-drinking in the Norfolk seaside town, the borough council has said.

The £20m initiative is in place for 10 years and is funded by the government's Pride in Place programme.

Council leader Carl Smith said the public had been asked how the money should be spent, and the "big priority" had been "making the town centre clean, making it feel more welcoming, and the presence of police".

"It's really important. It's all about the perception for residents and visitors in the town centre," said the Conservative councillor.

"What we are doing is making it feel safe."

Supt Ed Brown said the council-funded officers would be dedicated to the area, and their usual roles within the force would be covered by new recruits.

"It will bring consistency and continuity, so they will get to know the businesses, the people who live here and the people who cause problems, so they build up that knowledge... and divert them to support services if they are able to," he said.

Asked whether the scheme set a dangerous precedent on police funding – which is usually provided by the Home Office – Brown said it was a first for Norfolk and could "make a difference", while Smith said it was "radical, but what the people wanted".

The task force would be subject to annual consultation and feedback, Smith added.

Helen Sharpin, who works on G&H Market Chips stall, said she had already seen improvements in street cleanliness.

"I think people are feeling scared to come into town. We get drunk people walking around, that puts people off, and there's so much negativity," she added.

"The footfall is very poor – we need people to feel safe so they come back."

But Becky Hubbard, an outreach worker, said she was not impressed with the plan, and she felt the £20m could have been better spent on safe accommodation for the town's addicts and homeless.

"They are most likely looking at things that the general public see, but Great Yarmouth is all about the things that are not seen, which is where I work," she said.

"I will work where the tourists don't go.

"Yes, this will make the town centre look good but that's not looking after the people severely living in poverty here – not just the homeless but people massively at risk of homelessness."

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