Operation Christmas Presence

West Mercia is already a safe place to have a great time and enjoy the festive celebrations - and we have launched Operation Christmas Presence to make it even safer.

During the festive period you'll see more police officers out on patrol across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire.  No, we're not trying to spoil your fun - in fact we want you to have a great Christmas and New Year, but one that's memorable for all the right reasons.

Operation Christmas Presence encourages individuals to take personal responsibility for their actions and be aware of the effect that their behaviour may have on others.  In particular we want people to think before they drink and make sure that their Christmas isn't ruined by alcohol-related crime.

Although the majority of festive revellers do behave responsibly, the extra numbers of people out in our towns and cities in December can lead to incidents of alcohol-related crime increasing.  Careless behaviour can also put people at greater risk of being a victim of crime, particularly through excessive consumption of alcohol.

That's why West Mercia Police will be cracking down on crimes such as drink-fuelled violence, anti-social behaviour and drink spiking by targeting people who commit offences and working with pubs and clubs to keep people safe.  We are also targeting motorists who take to the roads while under the influence of alcohol through our work with the Safer Roads Partnership in West Mercia.

Play Your Part To Keep Safe

Don't end up in a situation where you wish you could turn the clock back and do things differently.  Follow our five golden rules to have a safe and enjoyable time:

• Don't drink too much
• Look after your friends
• Be aware of drink spiking
• Don't drink and drive
• Walk away from any trouble
  

Find Out More

Click on the boxes below for more hints and tips on how to stay safe or click on the links at the bottom of the page to read the latest news about Christmas Presence from across West Mercia.  You can also keep up to date automatically by subscribing to our Christmas Presence RSS feed.