A CHARITY boss from Greenock visited Jamaica to mark the tenth anniversary of the Street Pastors service there - and learn lessons from the country to help develop the service back here.

Chris Jewell is the chief executive of Ascension Trust Scotland, which is based in Greenock and oversees street, school, rail and response pastors across Scotland, including in Inverclyde.

During his overseas trip he took part in a celebration to mark the anniversary milestone and said the trip was very worthwhile, as it provided valuable insights which he has brought home and will be taking up with government to try and expand services.

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Chris said: "I was at a celebration event which was attended by lots of local Street Pastors plus a representative from Trinidad Street Pastors and a number of local officials.

"I was able to offer greetings and congratulations from Scotland, where we now have 21 initiatives providing pastors in 26 towns and cities plus a number of rail and school pastor initiatives.

"I was also part of a School Pastor team on two occasions in the Charlie Smith High School in downtown Kingston, which I loved."

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"The children are very open to School Pastors and we chatted with individual children about their issues.

"The School Pastor team there is very highly regarded by school staff."

During his stay Chris went on a walkabout with a street pastor city patrol, met Christian leaders from the Caribbean and also shared experiences of his organisation's work in Scotland.

He said: "‘The idea of Street Pastors across the UK came from Jamaica, and with the help of Bruce Fletcher, one of the original founders of Street Pastors, we spoke with the British High Commissioner in Jamaica, Judith Slater, and also at the Planning Institute of Jamaica where we heard of their plans, using an inclusive and collaborative approach, to tackle the likes of gun crime and anti-social behaviour.

"I think their approach could be of value in Scotland. I am approaching the Scottish Government working party on anti-social behaviour with some information."

Street Pastors have been active in Inverclyde since 2010, followed by their rail counterparts since 2018, and there are plans to have new teams in Shetland, Peebles and Dumfries this year.

Chris said: "We have a small team here in Inverclyde on the streets in Greenock, Port Glasgow and Gourock and on local trains and very keen to grow our local teams and provide a fuller service including day patrols.

"These services are provided by local Christians from across all the various local denominations working together as volunteers and in partnership with the police and the local authority.

"We are very well received on the streets and on the trains and it has been established that when Street Pastors are out, the crime rate drops dramatically."