Police have vowed they will attend every noisy student house party and are teaching wardens self-defence in a bid to keep the peace as the city braces itself for Freshers’ Week.
With more students living in the Garden Quarter than any other part of the city, residents are preparing for sleepless nights as the students hold house parties, chant and sing as they make their way to nights out in the city centre.
With less than five days until Freshers’ Week begins, The Chronicle can reveal that police have guaranteed to attend every single call of an out-of-control student party in the area.
Officers have vowed to interrupt noisy parties and even call back the next morning to ‘read them the riot act’.
Residents will see an increase in officers patrolling the Garden Quarter and the university campus, and there will be an increased police presence outside bars and clubs in the city as they hold special events for students.
Run by Chester Inner Neighbourhood Policing Unit, the action forms part of Operation Cherokee, which aims to reduce the amount of anti-social behaviour and crime in the area and educate students to stop them becoming a victim during their time in the city.
The operation, which has run for a number of years, has a number of new initiatives, including university hall wardens being taught self defence, first aid and how to deal with victims of sexual offences by detectives, who will be visiting the campus over the next few days.
Police will also be setting out the law about urinating in public places.
Sergeant Andy Burrage said: “This year we are guaranteeing we will that we will attend every report of a noisy student party in the Garden Quarter.
“There are a lot of permanent residents in the Garden Quarter.
“Many of the students are living away from home for the first time and trying to have fun, while we bear that in mind people are living there and trying to get up for work in the morning.”
Sergeant Burrage urged residents to contact the police if they were being kept up due to their noisy neighbours, saying that an officer would attend the party at the time or go round the next day in a bid to remind students to be considerate.
“We will go out while the party is in progress, if not we will attend the house the next morning.
“We will go down there when they have sobered up and read them the riot act.”
Sergeant Burrage added that most students were receptive, but that the university had strict measures in place for repeat offenders of anti-social behaviour.
“We would always look to visit persistent noisy party households, but we can only guarantee this attendance during freshers’ week because of dedicated staff on the operation,” he said.
“I would still urge residents to call us so we can build up a picture of any persistent offenders.”
If you suffer from anti-social behaviour during freshers’ week call Cheshire police on 101.
