Police urge people to act responsibly in the night-time economy over festive period
West Mercia Police has said it will be working with partners and pubs and clubs to keep everyone safe and enjoying their nights out over Christmas
West Mercia Police is reminding people heading out into the night-time economy over and around Christmas to act sensibly.
The force has said throughout December they'll be highly visible police patrols to help protect and reassure people so they can enjoy a night out, alongside other teams including plain clothes officers and CCTV operators who will all be working closely together to keep everyone safe.
It's as there's expected to be an increased number of people visiting towns and cities across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire during the festive period.
"We want everybody to enjoy the festive season, unfortunately some individuals can spoil it for the rest of us and we want to send a clear message to anybody involved in criminality or anti-social behaviour that we will not tolerate it in West Mercia Police," said Edd Williams, Chief Superintendent for West Mercia Police.
"We'll be working with pubs, clubs and key stakeholders to make sure that people enjoying the night-time economy over the festive season have a safe and enjoyable experience and our staff are are there to deal with any instances of disorder, anti-social behaviour or violence that occur.
"We want to work closely with them, sharing information, identifying those small minority of people who do cause trouble to ensure that we don't just displace the problem, but we remove it from our areas."
In addition to this, the force said it will be focusing on its Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) campaign as it continues to tackle drink-spiking and target those individuals exhibiting predatory behaviour.
It's also warning motorists to not drink and drive, after last December it said it arrested 186 people across the three counties for being over the limit while behind the wheel.