Protecting - Safety

A safer city for all: Bristol awarded Purple Flag accreditation for 14th consecutive year

Bristol city centre surpasses standards of excellence for management of evening and night time economy thanks to work of Bristol City Council and Bristol City Centre BID.

23/05/2024

BID Lead
Carmen Ceesay
Email Carmen Ceesay

Bristol has been awarded with the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation for the 14th year running, based on the economic status and continuous safety of nightlife throughout Bristol’s city centre. The award, presented by not-for-profit organisation Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), is an internationally-recognised accreditation programme incentivising cities to improve safety standards between the hours of 5pm and 5am.

Annual accreditation from ATCM is the result of a collaborative partnership, spearheaded by Bristol City Council and Bristol City Centre BID. The partnership has resulted in the consistent exceeding of national standards for safety, fostering a thriving and enjoyable experience for residents and visitors venturing into the city in the evening and late hours.

Key successes in Bristol’s Purple Flag submission include the exemplary continued strengthening of the partnership, the support and engagement of the Street Pastors, and the admirable overall diversity of the city in aspects of culture, entertainment, dining, and nighttime venues.



Bristol has been a Purple Flag bearing city for 13 years, having been awarded the status every year since its introduction in 2010. Accreditation is judged on a variety of criteria including wellbeing, movement, appeal and safety in the area, all of which encompass Bristol City Centre BIDs’ key themes of diversity, accessibility and cleanliness. Bristol City Council has worked closely with Bristol City Centre BID to enhance aspects of this criteria throughout the city centre, elevating the appeal of Bristol at night, as well as prioritising safety and wellbeing for those enjoying the city’s nightlife.



As part of its work towards Purple Flag accreditation, Bristol City Council has worked alongside Bristol City Centre BID and Bristol Nights to produce numerous safety initiatives, some of which have been introduced nationally in other areas of the UK. 

In 2021, Bristol Nights in collaboration with the BID introduced an anti-spiking campaign in response to increasing cases of drink spiking in the UK. The campaign saw guides being given to venues to educate them on the processes to take if someone has been spiked, as well as urine kits handed out to police officers to test if a potential victim has been spiked in the past 48 hours. The campaign resulted in the passing of legislation for drink-spiking to become its own offence, and influenced 43 police forces across the country to take on the new law.





Vicky Lee, Head of Bristol City Centre BID, said:

“Safety is a key priority for us in the work we do towards improving the city centre. We want everyone who comes out to enjoy the amazing businesses open in the later hours to feel safe to do so, and so we are proud to have retained our Purple Flag accreditation for another year. We hope that this status gives residents and visitors alike even further reassurance that Bristol is a safe place to live, work and play in for years to come.”

Other Bristol City Centre BID initiatives that elevate the city’s safety and wellbeing include Violence against Women and Girls, anti-sexual harassment training, Bristol Rules with Bristol Nights, Water Safety and Student Safety, which have all successfully improved the nightlife dynamic and economy in the city centre. To find out more about Bristol City Centre BIDs safety projects, click here. 



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