Bath Business Improvement District’s night marshal scheme has been hailed a success by the city’s top health chief.
Director of public health for Bath and North East Somerset Dr Bruce Laurence spent a Friday evening with the marshals shortly before Christmas to see for himself how they work to improve safety during the city’s night-time economy.
Dr Laurence, who is responsible for promoting health and well-being, accompanied Bath Business Improvement District’s (BID) manager Andrew Cooper on the streets of Bath on what was one of the busiest nights of the year. 
The night marshal scheme was set up by Bath BID and is jointly funded by the BID and the council. Marshals assist city centre revellers by manning a taxi rank at Orange Grove, administering medical attention and ensuring that drunken behaviour does not get out of hand.
The knock-on effect has been a significant reduction in the burden on the emergency services. BID figures show early intervention by marshals prevented calls to the police in 581 incidents and 77 ambulance call-outs between August 2012 and October 2013.
In a typical week the marshals help around 2,000 people and Mr Cooper believes they create a far better and safer experience for visitors to the city centre.
He said: “Having marshals visible on the street gives everyone a sense a safety and some lightweight supervision which just helps the busy evenings tick over more smoothly.
“It is really important that a night in Bath offers a good experience and people want to return and enjoy the city again and again, which is why we have invested in assisting those businesses that rely on the night time economy.
“The marshals are part of our overall BID Nightwatch initiative which links the marshals, the licensees and police by radio and CCTV and helps everyone spot issues early on and deal with them efficiently.”
Dr Laurence added: “Bath is a lively place on a Friday night and with so many Christmas revellers and parties on the go it was great to see the marshals in action, not only helping to get people home safely but showing genuine concern for everyone’s well-being.
“They are saving us considerable resource by relieving the pressure on our local emergency services and are therefore a good investment and a welcome addition to our streets. I was also particularly impressed by the way in which the marshals, whether walking around the city centre or managing the taxi ranks, work alongside many others, such as the street pastors, the police, the ambulance service, the doormen of our pubs and clubs and the CCTV controllers in the city.
“By coordinating all their efforts, these folk keep our nightlife well managed in a friendly and discrete way, so that punters can enjoy themselves safely in our wonderful city.
“I wouldn’t be a director of public health if I didn’t add that while the vast majority of people were well in control of themselves, there were a few who we met who had drunk far too much alcohol and who could have got into serious trouble without the help of their friends or the marshals and ambulance men.
Night marshals will be present this evening to make sure Bath’s New Year’s Eve celebrations go off safely.
