Broad Street drinkers praised for being on their best behaviour on Super Friday
Dec 29 2009 by Mark Cowan, Birmingham Mail
THE thousands of Christmas revellers who descended on Birmingham’s Broad Street for ‘Super Friday’ have been praised for being on their best behaviour – after just one drinker was cautioned.
The Friday before Christmas is usually the busiest night of the party calendar with 40,000 drinkers heading to the city’s nightspots to toast the festive season.
But West Midlands Police revealed officers had to make just 28 arrests for drink-related offences in the city centre over the whole of that weekend.
Only one was cautioned and the rest issued with £80 on-the-spot fines after a night in the cells for being drunk and disorderly.
Extra officers had been drafted in to Birmingham city centre ahead of the weekend as part of a zero tolerance crackdown on booze-fuelled trouble.
A total of 25 officers were at the main city centre hot-spots over the weekend, up by around ten on the usual numbers.
With freezing temperatures helping to keep drunken tempers from rising, bobbies said the weekend passed off peacefully.
Det Insp Sam Ridding, from Steelhouse Lane police, said: “Given the massive increase in numbers of people in the city, it was no busier in terms of arrests than usual.
“We had the usual number of people who just needed a little time in the cells for their own and others’ safety, but otherwise it was a very good night.
“People had a few drinks and a good time and, apart from those few who went too far, were really good-humoured and having a good time with the officers.”
Birmingham’s nightspots have avoided the worst excesses of the alcohol-related violence that has plagued others cities across the country following the launch of ‘Bsafe’ five years ago.
Working with the council, police introduced high-visibility patrols to areas like Broad Street armed with dispersal notices allowing them to ban troublemakers from the area for up to 48 hours.
Senior officers found that tackling revellers for minor issues like urinating in public and kicking them out of the area helped prevent trouble later in the night.
Taxi marshals were also introduced to help organise taxi ranks.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said officers would be out in numbers again across Birmingham city centre and at other locations over the New Year.
