REVELLERS in Glasgow have been assured they will be able to get a taxi home after nights out in the city centre this festive season.

The annual festive safety campaign, a partnership between Police Scotland, Glasgow City Council (GCC) and several other agencies, was launched last night.

Various partners, including Glasgow Street Pastors, taxi operators and British Transport Police, will be working together to help keep thousands of people who come into the city safe. The initiative launched last night and will be taking place again on December 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 and 19.

Several taxi ranks will be set up as “night zones”, with council community enforcement officers (CEOs) on foot patrol covering them and their surrounding areas until 5am.

Lise Fisher, city centre neighbourhood liaison manager for GCC, said: “There are lots of taxi ranks in the city centre, but Gordon Street, Sauchiehall Street, West George Street and Albion Street will have taxi marshals at them.

“The taxi drivers know that they are managed queues – marshals will get the people into the taxis quickly.

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“Community enforcement officers from the council will be patrolling and directing people towards the night zones.”

In October, we reported that Glaswegians were struggling to get home from late-night shifts and nights out due to a reported shortage of taxis.

At the time, the chairman of Glasgow Taxis, Dougie McPherson, said: “On the surface people see lockdown and drivers leaving as causing this but it’s much deeper and more multi-faceted than that.”

He said that the average age of a taxi driver is around 57 and that retirement, pressures on the trade included reasons for the shortage.

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However, Lisa has ensured that people will get home safe over the next few weekends. She said: “Plan your journey, book taxis in advance if you can. But if you come along to a night zone, you will get a taxi. The queue might be long, and you might be waiting but you will get a taxi.

“We’re keen to have as many support services as possible in place. We hope it’s going to be a busy time and we really just want to make sure that people are getting home safely.

“We’ll also be sending out a series of social media messages about ensuring people plan their night, plan how they’re getting home, and use licensed taxis.”

Licensed premises will also be trained to spot vulnerable people or anyone who needs help.

Local and specialist police officers will be on high visibility foot and mobile patrols within the city centre.

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They will provide public reassurance and while officers will be responding to any incidents, they are happy to be engaging with and offering members of the public a range of crime prevention advice.

Chief Inspector Janie Thomson-Goldie said: “An added dimension for this year’s campaign is the increased focus which officers will have on public health, supporting vulnerable members of our communities with follow-up referrals to our public health partners and the wide range of support services operating across the city.

“With the return of Glasgow’s night-time economy, specialist officers will also be visiting licensed premises to remind staff of their licensing responsibilities, with the intention of preventing and deterring criminal activity taking place within these venues.”

Glasgow Street Pastors will also be on hand to support anyone who finds themselves in difficulty.

The volunteers walk the streets of Glasgow every weekend to help the homeless, anyone in a vulnerable position and to support police and door stewards.

Stuart Crawford, coordinator of Glasgow Street Pastors, said: “We’re going to be looking out for people who may be getting themselves into a bit of difficulty with over-drinking, losing contact with their friends, or not knowing how to get home.

“Sometimes it will be giving people flip-flops if they’ve come out of pubs and clubs in their high heels and whatnot. Sometimes it’s charging their phones for them, giving them directions, taking them to the nearest taxi rank. Or it could be that we need to make a 999 call if somebody’s really in a bad way because of what they’re drinking.

“We just don’t know if it’s going to be busy this year. I’m hoping it will be after the 18 months or so we’ve all come through. It will be nice for people to come out and enjoy themselves and do it safely.”