Pastor's plan to keep town safe

Reverend Richard Alford said the police were overstretched

A Kent minister plans to take to the streets of a Medway town to help young people get home safely after their night out.

Reverend Richard Alford, of the Vines United Reform Church, Rochester, is planning to introduce Christian evening patrols around the town's night spots.

He said their primary job would be to help those who had drunk too much.

The mother of a teenager who drowned after a night out in Rochester on New Year's day has backed the scheme.

The body of Terry Reynolds, 19, was found in the river at Halling three weeks after he had disappeared.

Calming effect

Jane Reynolds said: "If there had have been people like that out there, and he was spotted, they'd be a pretty good chance that he might have been helped and still be here today."

Street pastors are now a familiar sight in towns and cities across the UK, with more than 700 trained.

The project is the brainchild of the Reverend Les Isaac, of the Ascension Trust, and was first pioneered in London in January 2003.

Mr Alford said he hoped the patrols would have a calming effect on the town's streets.

He added: "The police are overstretched, with the support officers they are still overstretched.

"I don't believe [the level of] violence or alcohol intake has increased it just seems the right time to do the right thing."

Mr Alford hopes the patrols of 12 people will be operational by Christmas. Kent Police and Medway Council said they would consider the scheme.