It's a bitterly cold night but the pioneering band of Street Angels are hoping the welcome is warm on the streets of Bradford.

"I'm not expecting too much trouble. Our first duty is to get to know door staff and get used to the idea of talking to people," says night manager and project leader, Chris Howson.

Chris, City Centre Mission Priest, and his four-strong band of women Angels are on their first ever 8pm to 2am shift.

Among them is Bradford Councillor Carol Beardmore (LibDem Eccleshill) who first drew Chris's attention to the success of Street Angels in Halifax.

Overseeing the band, in their high visibility jackets, was Su Dawson, Bradford South Licensing Officer.

Sixty people have so far volunteered to be Street Angels in Bradford, many inspired by reading about the launch of the project in the Telegraph & Argus last month.

The Angels' brief is "to bring peace and courtesy" to Bradford city centre.

The churchgoers patrol in radio-linked teams, approaching vulnerable people and those who may have had too much to drink.

Street Angels already working successfully in Halifax where police say violent crime in the town centre has been reduced by 42 per cent.

The Bradford launch took place at the Chino Thai bar and restaurant in Centenary Square on November 21.

Angels, from churches across the Bradford district, will be out in force every Friday and Saturday.

They have a strict non-confrontational policy and work closely with bar and club door staff, the police and PCSOs.

Their base is the German Church, Great Horton Road, where help and hot drinks are provided.

In his first briefing on Friday night, Chris told the Street Angels they were on "a long learning curve".

He said that for the first month, their primary task was to get to know the streets and people, like the door staff, who worked on them.

"Our job first and foremost is to listen to people. If we feel they need a safe place while waiting for a friend or a taxi, bring them back to base," he said.

He urged his Angels to be friendly and courteous, even in the face of hostility, and to call for CCTV support if they felt threatened or witnessed an assault.

Gloves were provided to pick up discarded glasses and bottles that could be used as weapons.

Patrol members stationed between the former Odeon cinema and the Alhambra were advised to warn people away from Quebec Street because of the possibility of encountering drug users and people urinating.

Coun Beardmore told how she e-mailed Chris after going out with Street Angels in Halifax.

"I thought it was such a good idea but I didn't know how to get it off the ground in Bradford.

"It is brilliant to be here tonight and to help build a feeling of community and trust in the city centre," she said.

Chris led "Street Angels 1" on the hour-long route down Great Horton Road, across Centenary Square to Ivegate, via Market Street and along Bridge Street to the Interchange.

"We need to be at the Interchange from 9pm and ready for the clubs to turn out after 11pm," he said.

Chris said that although the city centre was often "swamped with police" the officers could not have time for everyone.

He and the patrol got a friendly reception from door staff and many revellers seemed welcoming.

Bradford city centre police Inspector Steve Baker said not only had the weekend's outings been a success, but that ultimately the Angels had helped to cut crime. He said: "These people are not police officers or police staff, they are not ambulance people, they are just volunteers from local churches who come out to help the community in the city centre. But when you have a dozen or so people wearing a uniform, it deters people from committing offences. They are helping to deal with people who would normally be overlooked while emergency services are dealing with more serious issues.

"It was a very busy weekend in the run-up to Christmas and the volunteers have already helped vulnerable people. There were a couple of incidents over the radio which did not involve violence which they attended to. I was really pleased, they were doing what we expected them to do."

e-mail: jenny.loweth @bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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