Street pastors anniversary

A Perthshire politician has praised the work of Street Pastors as the group celebrates its tenth anniversary.

Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, has previously gone out on the beat with street pastors in Perth.

He believes that the service has made a huge contribution to improving safety in the city.

“A couple of years back I joined the street pastors in Perth and witnessed their work on a Saturday night first-hand,” he said.

“Although no stranger to patrolling the High Street, albeit in the morning with a leaflet in hand, this experience was an altogether different one.

“It left me in no doubt about the significant contribution these men and women make to the night-time economy.

“During our patrol, street pastors handed out flip-flops, dispensed water bottles, lollipops, and provided a friendly face and sympathetic shoulder to lean on. What was absent, was any effort to preach or convert non-believers.

“This is about providing a service rather than an opportunity to evangelise.”

Perth street pastors patrol from 10pm to 3am on a Thursday and a Saturday.

The scheme originated in London with just 18 volunteers before growing into a network of 20,000 people.

Perth’s Street Pastors are trained in basic first aid and are recognisable through their blue uniforms.