Volunteers from the Shrewsbury church community are set to patrol the streets after dark to offer help to vulnerable night-time revellers.
The Street Pastors initiative is a first for the town, which it is hoped will be up and running in the autumn.
The scheme has been set up in response to concern over the number of youngsters who have drowned in the River Severn after a night out.
Volunteers will work in pairs to patrol the town centre streets and offer help to anyone who has become vulnerable or distressed because of too much alcohol. They will be in contact with the police via radio and CCTV.
The scheme has been awarded £5,600 from the Severn Loop Local Joint Committee and the West Mercia Police Authority Community Fund, to cover the costs of training and support for the new street pastors.
Tony Mantle, licensing officer for West Mercia Police, has been working with Pete Lawton of Active Security Services, who provide door supervisors in the town, to help set up the scheme.
Tony said: “The street pastors will be looking after vulnerable people suffering from the night time economy.
“It will be a crime prevention and welfare exercise. They won’t be targeting people that need to be hospitalised or arrested. They will be on the lookout for vulnerable people, helping to reunite them with friends, or ensure they get home safely.”
He added: “We are about half way through. Once we have set up a steering and management committee we will then be recruiting, and then training the street pastors.”
Around six or seven churches in the town have already signed up to the scheme. These include the Barnabus Community Church in Longden Coleham, St Chad’s Church and Claremont Baptist Church.
There are more than 100 similar initiatives up and running around the country, including Telford, Stafford, Wolverhampton and Chester.
by Catherine Ferris