All We Want For Christmas is a safe and secure festive season for all 

The one thing the City of London Police wants for Christmas this year is to make sure no one becomes a victim of crime over the festive season.

#AllIWantForChristmas

Using #AllIWantForChristmas this year’s campaign is providing the public with useful advice and tips to ensure they stay safe and aware of their surroundings when they are out in the City over the festive period.

To ensure people don’t become a target for criminals while Christmas shopping or enjoying a drink or bite to eat, a series of eye-catching adverts will be displayed throughout December on digital screens in train stations across the City including Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street, Cannon Street and Blackfriars. These will highlight important crime prevention advice about theft, violence, counter-terrorism and drink-driving and inform people how they can report a crime.

Crime Prevention Advice at Christmas

The adverts will remind people:

• Keep an eye on your belongings – it can be very easy when on bustling streets or in busy bars and restaurants to get distracted. Make sure your bags are close by to you at all times and don’t leave your valuables unattended.
• Know your limits and stop at merry – don’t let alcohol cloud your judgement. We have a zero tolerance policy to violence or public disorder of any kind in the City.
• Be aware of your surroundings and report anyone or anything that looks suspicious or out of place to a member of staff, security or police.
• Events in the nearby area or bad weather can affect local transport routes. Make sure you check before you travel. If you’re going for an impromptu drink after work with colleagues, plan how you’re getting home first and don’t drive or cycle if you’ve consumed alcohol.

On the first night of the campaign (Thursday 29 November 2018) City Hall’s Night Czar Amy Lamé visited the Square Mile to meet our officers and City Police horses to hear all about the initiatives we will be running this year.

SOS Bus is Coming to Town

Christmas is not just a busy time for the police, but also our emergency service partners in the NHS.

This year to help ease the burden on them, we have two initiatives running in the Square Mile which have proven to reduce unnecessary ambulance call-outs and A&E admissions.

Every Thursday evening through to the early hours of Friday, there will be an SOS bus parked by Liverpool Street station where medically-trained staff, volunteers, and police officers are able to offer assistance to people out in the Square Mile.

The specially adapted bus, provided by the charity Open Road, provides on-board healthcare professionals, who can respond to medical emergencies and treat minor injuries and illness. This means fewer people need to attend busy hospitals and walk-in centres and vital police resources can be kept on the streets to deal with other incidents.

To further improve response times to incidents in the Square Mile this Christmas, cycle responders from the City of London Police and the London Ambulance Service will be joining up to answer emergency 999 calls where people only need simple medical attention. This will be the third year these triage teams have worked together to help our colleagues in the NHS keep their hospitals free for those that really need it.

Over the past two Christmas’, 68% of the calls our police medics and LAS medics on pedal cycles attended were dealt with there and then without the need for an ambulance to attend, saving approximately 150 unnecessary ambulance call-outs.

This year, for the first time, officers from the British Transport Police will also be joining the cycle responders during busy periods.

Commander Jane Gyford, from the City of London Police, said: 

“The City of London Police strives to deliver a service that is valued by all who live, work and visit the Square Mile.

“This Christmas, my officers will be working closely with our partners, local businesses and, most importantly the public, ensuring the service we provide is effective at preventing all types of crime from occurring in the City.

“More officers will be deployed to patrol around crime ‘hotspots’ to provide a high-visibility deterrent to criminals and keep you all safe throughout the festive period.”

Chief Inspector Rob Wright, from the City of London Police, said:

“It is a sad truth that some people will use the Christmas period as an ideal opportunity to take advantage of others. This might be when their attention is elsewhere for a few minutes or when they have been out enjoying a drink with friends or colleagues. Our officers will be working round the clock to keep you safe but you can help by looking out for yourself and others during this festive period and remembering our simple but effective crime prevention advice. By working together we can ensure everyone gets the best present possible this year – a crime-free Christmas.”

Amy Lamé, Night Czar for London, said: 

“It is so important for Londoners to celebrate the festive season safely.
“This time of year often brings with it a spike in demand for emergency services which puts a strain on already-stretched resources. The SOS bus is a great way of helping reduce some of the pressure on the police and our NHS at a busy time of the year, providing care when it’s needed and keeping Londoners safe.”

Benjamin Forde, from the London Ambulance Service cycle response unit, said: 

“The festive period is always a busy time for us and – as with the rest of the year – we see quite a few patients who’ve had too much to drink. Being on a bike is often the quickest way to get around in the City, and by responding to patients who do not need an ambulance and can be discharged on the scene, we are freeing up ambulances for our sickest patients. By working as a team with the police we are able to respond quickly and efficiently to those in the City who need our help.”

For more information about how to stay safe in the City this Christmas, please visit www.cityoflondon.police.uk/christmas.