Street Engagement Hub - Working with Partners to Support Rough Sleepers and Reduce Anti-Social Behaviour

Today, officers from our Street Engagement Team (SET) are in attendance at the Mustard Tree on Oldham Road. Every Tuesday and Thursday between 10am and 1pm, a “HUB” is put on at the location with the aim of providing some of Manchester's most vulnerable people a place to access services that can help them live a safe and healthy life. Officers from the SET are often in attendance to support and work with the street community, many of whom they have personally referred to the HUB on their rounds.

Various support services are represented at the HUB, including but not limited to the following:

- Drug and Alcohol Services

- Housing and Benefits Advice

- Medical Personnel

- Several Charities

Our local neighbourhood officers will often engage with rough sleepers and beggars across the city centre, checking on their welfare and asking them about their current situation. This is all fed into the Street Engagement Team and referrals are made to the HUB in an attempt to help them with whatever situation has led to them being on the street, whether this be substance abuse, relationship breakdown or other challenges that have come their way. Those that engage with the process will attend the HUB and receive support from various teams. Our SET officers work closely with the relevant teams at Manchester City Council to use a multi-agency response to the issue, ensuring each team uses their respective skillset to best support those in need.

The Street Engagement Team, consisting of a number of warranted Police Officers, are also in a position whereby they can deal with anyone refusing to engage and causing other problems such as anti-social behaviour or regularly committing criminal offences. Our first port of call is always to help those on the street, but if they consistently cause problems in the community and are unwilling to accept help, we then turn to enforcement as a means to protect those they bring harm to.