STREET marshals are set to be employed on a trial basis in Liskeard to support residents and the night-time economy.

Conscious that with the easing of restrictions and the opening up of a large new venue in the town, more people will be enjoying nights out in Liskeard, Safer Liskeard has worked with the Town Council to prepare a bid for £6875 to the OPCC (Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner).

The Council will need to provide £6875 in match funding for the scheme that will provide three months of patrols on two nights by two marshals, combined with extra hours of remote monitoring for the town’s CCTV cameras. Liskeard Town Council hopes to recover this match funding with an application to Cornwall Council’s “Welcome Back Fund”.

Safer Liskeard explains that the OPCC has identified Liskeard as a potential Evening and Night Time Economy ‘hotspot’ and that the marshals would offer support to the local policing team, providing a consistent, highly visible, uniformed presence in the town centre.

The patrol route would be flexible to respond to need during the busy periods, and marshals would have direct two-way communication with the CCTV operators at Tolvaddon, to keep on top of any incidents as they emerge.

“The marshals will engage with the public to prevent and de-escalate anti-social behaviour and violence and diffuse confrontation; the role is not enforcement focused,” said Lucy Allison, who is Community Safety Officer for Safer Cornwall and chair of Safer Liskeard.

“They will work with licenced premises staff to ensure the safeguarding of patrons, reduce drunken vulnerability and provide assistance to persons in need. The marshals will also pick up and dispose of any broken glass and alcohol litter, and report any drug litter found.”

The context of the need for the bid, said Safer Liskeard, is that the dynamics of the evening and night-time economy will change in the town with the opening of The Social at the former Carlton Suite, and that police resources “will be stretched this summer with a high number of officers redeployed to G7”. Cornwall could well experience an even higher number of visitors this year due to travel abroad being restricted.

During a meeting of Liskeard Town Council, members discussed the merits of the scheme, and whether to provide the match funding from reserves, to attempt to claim all of it back from the Welcome Back Fund, or to approach local businesses for contributions.

It was felt that it was important to support local businesses after a year of closures.

Cllr Smith felt that the street marshal role was “very much a job the police should be doing” and questioned why the OPCC seemed to be seeking to pass on policing to private security firms.

He cautioned that people in the town might see the move as “the Town Council starting its own private police force”.

It was established that the Town Council would be responsible for contracting the street marshals, and Cllr Ambler asked what responsibility would fall to the Council should someone get hurt.

There was discussion about whether installing an extra camera would present better value for money. Cllr Kerry Cassidy said that a camera couldn’t talk to people and that a marshal could potentially engage with young people out in the town.

Cllr Powell argued that both marshals and extra camera cover were needed in order to provide a flexible response.