San Francisco launches new program to promote public safety

SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the deployment of additional community "ambassadors" to the Mission district as part of a broader strategy to promote public safety and improve cleanliness in the neighbourhood.

Mission SAFE Streets is a new program that will deploy newly-recruited Community Connectors in the neighbourhood, the announcement said.

The program will complement several public safety initiatives in the Mission, including additional foot beat patrol and SFPD Community Ambassadors on Mission Street, reports Xinhua news agency.

Although they are trained in de-escalation techniques, first aid, and interacting with people going through a mental health crisis, the Mission Community Connectors will not directly intervene in potentially dangerous or life-threatening situations that are more appropriately handled by police officers, according to the announcement.

"We have been focused on working with Mission residents and merchants for months to address public safety issues and unacceptable behaviour," said Breed.

"These ambassadors signal a turning point in our fight to make the Mission a place where families and businesses can thrive and where neighbours feel safe walking in the street or using public transportation," said City Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

San Francisco has significantly increased the presence of "ambassadors" in neighbourhoods across the city in recent years.