Liverpool — The Patrol. Looking out for Liverpool.
Looking Out For Liverpool
We are Liverpool — The Patrol: local people who give up their evenings to walk the city so that others feel safer in it.
Our members patrol in groups through the city centre, parks and transport hubs, looking out for young people and anyone vulnerable who could do with help getting home safely. We check on people who look like they are struggling and make sure the right service knows about anything that needs following up.
We hold no powers and we look for none. We are not the police and we are not security. When a situation needs more than we can safely give, we call 999 and stay until help arrives. Everything else — housing, mental health, outreach, safeguarding — we signpost or refer.
Trained volunteers. Clear boundaries. Nobody walking alone.
Across the city
Where we walk
Always in groups
How we patrol
Trained first
Before a first shift
How we operate
100%
Volunteer-led
Nobody here takes a wage. Every hour is given freely.
DBS
Checked members
Everyone is vetted, trained and signed up to our declaration. DBS checks are carried out on all members.
Insured
Public liability
Cover in place for every patrol we put out.
Lawful
No powers, no force
We never detain, search or intervene physically. Serious matters go to 999.
Got questions about any of that? Read the FAQs.
What we are
A patrol, not a posse.
The Patrol is a safety patrol. We were set up to do three plain things well: be somewhere visible so young and vulnerable people are not out there on their own, help whoever needs helping, and pass concerns to the people with the training and authority to act.
And we want this to spread. Our aim is for neighbourhoods across the city to run their own patrols on their own streets — we will share the training, the structure and everything we have learned with anyone willing to start one.
Be there
A group of people walking together, with a recognisable Team Leader at the front, changes how a street feels. We walk regular routes at the hours when the city is quietest, so anyone out on their own — especially young people on a night out — has someone to turn to.
Help out
Most of the job is small and practical. Making sure someone gets into the right taxi, waiting with a lone young person until their friends turn up, a phone charge, directions, first aid, and a calm word with anyone having a bad night.
Hand over
We keep a record of what we see and pass it on — 999 when someone is at immediate risk, and outreach, housing, safeguarding or mental health teams when the need is longer term. We do not investigate, detain or intervene physically.
How a shift runs
Briefed, grouped, radio-linked.
Every patrol starts with a briefing: the route, who is out, what the last few nights have thrown up. Members are then split into groups led by an experienced Team Leader and stay in contact for the whole shift. Nobody walks a route on their own, and nobody freelances.
We are not out there looking for trouble. If a situation is heating up we step back, keep talking and call it in — walking away is a correct decision, not a failure.
- Briefed before every shift, debriefed after
- Groups only — never a lone member
- De-escalate, then withdraw if needed
- 999 for anything urgent, referral for anything ongoing
What we carry
The kit that makes the difference is unglamorous.
Radios, torches and batteries, first-aid kits, phone chargers, water and hot drinks. It is a short list and it runs down fast. Every bit of it was paid for by a local person or business — we take no public funding and charge nobody a penny.
See what we need
Get involved
One evening a week is enough to matter.
You do not need a background in security or care work. What we need is people who turn up when they say they will, keep their head when things get tense, and treat everyone they meet with respect.
We will train you, we will never send you out alone, and we will be straight with you about what the role does and does not involve.
From the streets
Watch us in action
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