Formed in 2011, Dover Street Pastors are a group of Christians from different churches across Dover who liaise with Dover District Council, Dover Community Safety Partnership, Dover Outreach Centre, Kent Police and other relevant organisations to help support a peaceful presence on the streets in Dover. Any conversations we may have during our patrols remain confidential unless the circumstances are a risk to public or personal safety. We are there to listen, care and help.
What do we do?
We’ll engage with people where they are and help in any way we can and provide practical support in the form of:
- Bottled water (hydration is key!)
- Spikey bottle stoppers (Protect your drink, protect yourself!)
- Lollipops (good argument stoppers!)
- First aid (just in case…)
- Flip flops (we know high heels aren’t always the most comfortable!)
- Food, hot drinks or thermal blankets for rough sleepers
What’s more, we remove any discarded bottles/glasses left in the street whilst clearing up any broken glass too. Occasionally, we will help with recharging phones or making calls for stranded individuals.
Currently there are six teams of Street Pastors plus teams of Prayer Pastors who work a four-weekly rota. The teams meet at the home base where the Prayer Pastors remain whilst the Street Pastors go out on patrol. An additional day patrol using e-bikes goes out once a month during the summer to outlying areas of Dover, subject to weather conditions.
Prayer Pastors are an essential part of the team and we won’t go out on patrol without them. While the Street Pastors are patrolling the streets, Prayer Pastors cover them in prayer for them to be kept safe and for God to go with them. They also pray for the town and the people that the team will meet.
Part of the Prayer Pastors’ role is to keep all interested parties up to date. There is CCTV at the base so they can see what is going on and then relay anything relevant to the team who then go to the incident and offer assistance if needed. Regular contact is maintained between the Prayer Pastors and the Street Pastors so that their position is known and that they are safe.
At the base, a form is completed as a record of all that goes on during the patrol, such as the streets patrolled, any incidents and people talked to.