STREETS ARE GETTING SAFER

That's just one of the serious incidents faced by the seven local wardens who patrol the town's streets, according to a report released by the wardens this week.

On another occasion in February a mass fight between crowds of party-goers was so fierce that wardens had to leave the area for their own safety.

Although the warden scheme, has been up and running since June 2007, there is still a need to raise the profile of the seven local men and women who give up their time to do a range of day and night shifts each week, the recent report concluded.

Helen Coop, who lives in the town, joined the scheme when it first began and said she is certain lives have been saved as a result of the scheme.

"We pulled a guy from a river in the early days of the scheme and we got to another boy just in time when he was being beaten up by a group of about eight people," she told the Leader.

"I've no doubt in my mind he would have died had we not been there and able to break up the fight."

Since January the wardens have helped a lone female make her way home safely after a night out, given first aid to three people suffering from the effects of drink or drugs, and stopped people drinking in public on 58 separate occasions.

But Helen, a former nurse, said she has seen vast improvements in the behaviour of people out and about at night.

"Most of the people we meet are just kids and young people doing what they do so they usually comply if we speak to them," said Helen.

"But there is of course still that small percentage of people determined to cause trouble and that is why it's important that we have a good two-way communication with the police.

"We are not enforcers like the wardens in some areas so we speak to people rather than arrest them but Banbridge is definitely lucky to have this service and I think it has improved since we first began our work here."

As well as town patrols the Community Safety Wardens do walkabouts in areas where there is a serious problem with anti-social behaviour, and work with schools and local community groups to raise awareness of personal safety.