New Safe Point to launch in Pontefract

A new Safe Point is set to launch in Pontefract this weekend, offering support to people out enjoying the town’s nightlife.

The service will provide first aid and welfare assistance, in a welcoming and non-judgmental space, to anyone feeling vulnerable, intoxicated or unwell while out in the town.

The Safe Point – a converted ambulance - will be located on Beastfair, near the junction with Ropergate. It will operate between 10.30pm and 5.30am on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Sunday nights on bank holiday weekends.

Its trained staff, identifiable by their green uniforms, will be able to provide medical care and assistance, a friendly listening ear and a safe place to wait for friends or transport. Drinking water and phone charging facilities will also be available.

The initiative, from Wakefield Council’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP), follows the success of the Wakefield city centre Safe Point, which has been helping residents and visitors in the city centre since it was introduced in December 2025. In the last six months, that unit has helped deal with 179 incidents, assisting both men and women.  

Of these:

• 68 were medical incidents which were clinically managed by Safe Point, helping to reduce the pressure on our A&E services. And saving the NHS around £7,000 in call-out costs, as 20 of them would have needed an ambulance without the intervention of Safe Point.  
• 54 were welfare incidents, helping people experiencing various issues, including mental health difficulties.

The Pontefract Safe Point will be supported by the town’s night marshals, who play a vital role in preventing incidents and intervening before situations escalate. And it will complement other community safety measures within the town, such as ‘Ask for Angela’, a scheme which enables people who feel threatened or vulnerable to discreetly seek help in venues.

Find out more at Safe Point - Wakefield Council