WATCHING for fights, protecting vulnerable people and looking out for any potential trouble - this is all in a night's work for Newport's night staff who are charged with keeping the city centre safe for revellers on the weekend.
And one nightclub boss invited reporter Kasey Rees to see how night staff keep Newport safe.
On Saturday night, March 4, we went out on a night time patrol with the street ambassadors as the Newport night scene came to life.
A night ambassador service operates on Friday and Saturdays between 8pm and 4am run by Newport Now BID on behalf of Newport City Council and Gwent Police, and funded by the Home Office Safer Street's fund.
Night ambassadors Rey Evans and Tim Loram were kind enough to take us on their Saturday patrol.
It was an eye-opening experience to be on the other side of things and when people have had a drink it's easy to see how important their job is.
Long queues outside vibez nightclub on cambrian road.
Being on the sober side of things, you see a lot more going on around you and it was interesting to see how the ambassadors handle people under the influence of alcohol.
We learned that they play a vital role in keeping the streets safe at night. It was a calm evening with one fight reported at the John Wallace Wetherspoons, and reports of three men trying to gain entry to a pub after being refused entry to another.
We patrolled up the High Street and around Cambrian Road which the ambassadors have nicknamed the ‘dark side’ due to the severely busy area.
The civic centre is the hub of Charlie Romeo, CCTV footage that can see around the pubs and nightclubs in the area.
Observing a busy Vibez nightclub with a bouncer
Rey and Tim work with the police, businesses and street pastors on patrol as a networking circle with constant radio communication to each other to report on any trouble.
It was like being part of a community who are the eyes and ears to Gwent Police. They are friendly and welcoming and are there to help vulnerable people get to their location safely.
On patrol with Rey and Tim, street ambassadors
There was nothing but praise for these gentlemen, every pub and nightclub staff we spoke to have had a positive message to say to the staff, and even drinkers would wave and say hello.
Overall, we certainly enjoyed the experience of being on patrol. Next time you see a street ambassador say hello as they are there to help the community.
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