British police to help in Faliraki

Two British police officers today flew out to the Greek resort of Faliraki to pass on advice about tackling unruly behaviour.

Superintendent Andy Rhodes and Inspector John Donnelly, who are based in Blackpool, Lancashire, are to liaise for the next four days with police on the island of Rhodes about how best to tackle the problem of holiday yobs.

The pair have been asked to visit the island after an initiative aimed at cracking down on drunken behaviour was launched in Blackpool .

Senior Greek police officers have complained of continuous drunk and disorderly behaviour among some young British holidaymakers.

Faliraki has attracted a great deal of negative publicity over the summer, with at least three British tourists forced to pay large fines to avoid jail.

Mr Rhodes and Mr Donnelly have been behind a three-year scheme called Nightsafe, which was launched earlier this year and has slowly seen a decrease in alcohol-related offences in the Lancashire seaside town.

Mr Rhodes said: "People go to Faliraki with the expressed purpose of getting drunk. It is purely a British phenomenon.

"What we are doing is exporting our problem abroad. So it makes sense for us to go out there and show the Greek police how we deal with that problem."

One part of the Nightsafe scheme involves stopping drinks promotions, which give people the opportunity to consume vast amounts of alcohol relatively cheaply and in a short period of time.

Mr Rhodes said other ideas he would be passing on included the use of CCTV footage, the importance of intelligence-led policing, and the registration of door staff.