Police say successful night bus service for North Devon and Newquay was just the ticket
The North Devon and Newquay night bus services that were provided over the summer have been hailed a great success by Devon & Cornwall Police.
More than 2,000 passengers used the Saturday night/Sunday morning service during July, August and Sept. The service was introduced to help tackle drink driving offences, as well as anti-social behaviour (ASB) and violence against women and girls. Traditionally during the summer months and longer evenings police record more crime offences, especially as the population of Devon and Cornwall also increases due to holidaymakers.
The service in north Devon was provided by Stagecoach and covered Bideford, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe, carrying a total of 1,485 passengers. In Newquay the First bus company helped 659 passengers on a circular route travel between Newquay, St Columb Major, Indian Queens and Newquay bus station. This makes a total of 2,144 passengers who used the services.
The night buses ran from 6 July to 7 September this year and charged the minimum fare of £2 for a single ticket.
Sergeant Dave Flynn, of Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “This initiative was a great success and we are pleased that so many people used the bus services. This means we recorded fewer offences and more people were kept safe from harm. It is difficult to know how many crimes we managed to prevent but it is heartening that those on a night out in north Devon and Newquay felt confident and reassured to use this handy form of public transport.
“Local CCTV operators also reported that the town centre areas cleared of people more quickly once pubs and clubs had closed, thanks to the bus services.”
The bus services were set up by Devon & Cornwall Police and funded by Devon County Council, North Devon Council, Torridge District Council, Cornwall County Council, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and independent charity Crimestoppers.
There was only one reported incident to police in terms of crime and anti-social behaviour during this period and crime and ASB fell by 35 per cent compared to the same period last summer in north Devon. In Newquay there was a ten per cent decrease in offences. Drink driving offences also reduced compared to the same time last summer.
Police and their partners are hopeful that they will obtain the funding required to run the night bus service again in places such as north Devon in the coming months.
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