Linda Farrar worked for 41 years in the Health Service and when she retired she wanted to do voluntary work and has been a Street Pastor for 4 years. There is a 50 hour training period before you are allowed on the streets – this training includes mental health issues, drugs and alcohol effects and extensive role play to prepare the Pastors for the reality of the situations they will encounter on the streets. They go out in teams and usually start at 10-30 pm from their base in The Pleasance and finish about 4-00 am or later. There are 55 Street Pastors in Edinburgh and they go out 5 in a team. The last Saturday of the month – pay day – is usually the most demanding. They patrol all the main streets of Edinburgh City Centre at present but would like to have more Pastors so they could expand to Leith and Wester Hailes.
They go out with rucksacks full of flasks of tea and coffee, bottles of water, blankets, flip flops, First Aid Kit and lollipops. They take carrier bags to pick up empty bottles which might otherwise be used as weapons – at Halloween last year in 6 hours they picked up 427 bottles. They usually stop half way through the night to stock up the rucksacks again. Although they go into dangerous parts of town they are taught not to put themselves in danger. They also have access to a 24 hour helpline to Social Services. The Pastors are all Christians but they do not bring up the matter of faith unless they are asked but sometimes the people they meet request prayers or spiritual conversations. The Police and Council want them in the streets as the violent crime rate reduces by 12% when they are out and also reduce admissions to A&E.
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