Young people urged to stay Safe4Summer

Children enjoying a day out in the countryside

A programme of events is being offered to young people to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer.

During the long summer break there is temptation for young people to get involved in activities that may seem like harmless fun but can be seen differently by other people or carry serious consequences if things get out of hand.

Safe4Summer aims to provide young people with enough activities to banish boredom and offers advice about personal safety as well as promoting messages about social responsibility.

In addition to offering advice to young people, police are urging the community to help make their local area a safer and more enjoyable place to live. Parents and guardians are advised to maintain a line of communication when their children are out and about and talk to them about personal safety and the dangers of issues such as underage drinking. The wider community are asked to be proactive in reporting any instances of antisocial behaviour to police on 101 or via the new live chat function on the GMP website.

PC Natalie Dolan, of Greater Manchester Police said: “We understand that the long summer holiday is the chance for young people to have a break and unwind, but it is important to remember that other people will be off enjoying activities and events and we are urging everyone to have respect for others around you.  

“We will be working with partner agencies to deliver activities for young people, and I would appeal to parents and guardians to take an active interest in where their children are and what they are doing. Residents should be able to enjoy the summer period in peace, and this initiative will help to ensure that they can.”  

Paul Etches, Head of Prevention and Protection at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “The recent heatwave we’ve experienced across Greater Manchester has been a nice change to our normal weather but has brought with it extra challenges.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been dealing with large wildfires across the region which have taken a lot of hard work to get on top of and stretched the service. In this sort of weather these fires can start very easily.

They often begin by simply not properly putting out a cigarette, leaving a barbecue unattended or even leaving a glass bottle in the sun on dry grass.

“We need everyone to take a bit more care to help prevent outdoor fires from starting, and I ask parents to be aware of what their children are doing. The summer holidays should be a fun, safe time for children and by taking part in planned activities they will be.”

Chris Thorpe, the TfGM lead on TravelSafe, said: “Summer is a great time for young people to get out and explore our city-region on public transport. When travelling I’d encourage everyone to be safe, be sensible and respect other passengers. 

“The TravelSafe Partnership is dedicated to supporting safe and secure travel, and there will be teams of officers patrolling our networks throughout the summer to provide help and assistance as well as working to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.”