POLICE were out in force for one of the busiest nights of the year, nicknamed "Black Friday".
Officers were on patrol in numbers on the last Friday before Christmas as revellers let off steam in Bristol city centre.
A man was arrested for possessing a switch blade and another was brought to book for refusing to leave the city centre after he had been issued with a 24-hour banning order.
Accompanying the city centre policing team were specialist officers on bikes and horses along with 17 specials, who gave up their time for free to provide a visible presence and reassure the public.
Across the Avon and Somerset force area, officers dealt with everything from attempted suicides to missing people through to people being drunk and disorderly, fights and criminal damage.
The events of the evening were posted on the force's Twitter feed.
The force's Chief Superintendent Jon Stratford said: "As well as enforcing the law and protecting the public, part of our job is to let people know what we're doing to keep them safe and tackle any issues where they live. The Twitter feed is designed to give people the chance to see how we police during one of the busiest nights of the year."
Earlier on Friday, the force's police and crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens dropped in on its on-going Operation Tonic, which is cracking down on drink and drug-drivers all month.
So far, more than 100 drivers have been charged with offences after testing positive for alcohol or drugs while being behind the wheel.
Ms Mountstevens met with Insp Mark Edgington and Supt Paul Richards on the A38 near Filton airfield as they pulled drivers over to test and talk to them.
She was continuing her tour of the region with the visit to Bristol.
Before winning the election on November 15, she promised to spend one day a week meeting members of the community.
And, true to her word, Ms Mountstevens has been out and about, district by district, despite the pressures of managing the constabulary's budget for 2013/14, consulting on a policing and crime plan and appointing a new Chief Constable next month.
Ms Mountstevens got a taste of what was going on in the communities of Bristol. In the morning she met with Chief Supt Stratford, the deputy commander for the city, at The Bridewell police station.
Next on her agenda was a meeting with members of the Safer Bristol partnership at Princess House for a briefing on their work and priorities, including how they are tackling anti-social behaviour, plus discussions on restorative justice and victim-centred approaches.
Later in the day, she went to the emergency control centre before travelling to the Hartcliffe Gatehouse Centre for lunch, where she was joined by Pat Mundy, the chief executive of Hartcliffe and Withywood Ventures.
Ms Mountstevens told The Post: "The days I've spent meeting the public have been absolutely brilliant. They are the real heroes because they are the ones working hard for their communities, where there can be dysfunctional families, deprivation and all sorts of social problems to deal with."
The commissioner said by visiting all corners of the force area she has seen places and met people she never had the opportunity to before, when she was a member of the now defunct police authority.
Ms Mountstevens added: "One of the best bits of this job so far has definitely been meeting all these people."
Also during her visit, Ms Mountstevens heard about a family intervention project from staff at the Symes Community Centre in Hartcliffe; shadowed dog warden Mark Coombs during a park patrol and met a local community safety officer.
The commissioner has replaced the former police authority and is in charge of holding the constabulary to account, setting its budget and main policing priorities.
She also has the power to appoint or remove the chief constable. As previously reported, current Chief Constable Colin Port will stand down when his contract expires on January 26 and his replacement will be appointed during the middle of next month.
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