Following the decision not to proceed with an Early Morning Restriction Order, Edward McCarthy (Conservative Knowsley ward candidate for 2014) and James Trafford (West Lancs Conservative Future) took to the streets of Ormskirk to observe for themselves the town after midnight.
They recently spent a night with Ormskirk’s Street Pastors to fully understand what impact they have and the work they do. Street Pastors is a national initiative and Ormskirk Street Pastors have been out on the streets of Ormskirk since January 2011.
Edward said “It was very informative to witness what Ormskirk is like at night and the various challenges from the perspective of the police, bar staff, doormen and pub goers. I really enjoyed the night it was interesting to see what great work the team do. The volunteers shared their experiences with us. The police and door staff were working very hard and we saw no issues.” Fellow Knowsley ward Councillor Rob Bailey said " The EMRO option was never a runner and I think it was wrong to suggest to residents that it was the way forward. It was a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Ormskirk has a low level of localised antisocial behaviour for which a solution needs to be found, but decimating the licensed trade in is not it'.