Jackie O'Quinn: Enjoy the city's nightlife but do stay safe

It attracts people from far and wide with its many award-winning restaurants, lively night clubs and music and dance venues.

There is quite literally something for everyone, whatever age they are.

With such a large number of visitors to the city, especially to major events such as Pride, it is essential that we are mindful of the safety of both our visitors and our residents, and there is an array of organisations that work hard to keep us all safe from harm.

One of the most important and effective initiatives in recent years has been the Beach Buggy, with its team of volunteers who come from the coastguard service. They work to prevent people, young and old alike, from entering the sea when they’ve had a few too many drinks and have forgotten how dangerous that is.

The team work very closely with the police in making the beach a safe space, including focussing on the safety of young people.

The options for a second Beach Buggy are being looked into.

There is also an important Safe Space usually operating at St Paul’s Church in West Street at the weekends, where people can go if they have lost contact with their friends, lost their mobiles or just feel unwell. The universities have worked with local taxis so that vulnerable students can always get back safely to campus, and there are late night buses to ensure that party-goers can get home as well.

There are also security guards at clubs and pubs who will assist people in difficulty.

Wrapped around all these initiatives there is a vital element called ‘Operation Marble’, ensuring a strong police presence in the town centre.

This is organised by the police every weekend and is aimed at ensuring that everyone has a good night out without mishap or harm.

So, we hope that you all have a great night out in Brighton and Hove, but we want you to know your safety is taken seriously.

Jackie O'Quinn is a Labour councillor and the chairman of the licensing committee on Brighton and Hove City Council.