Bouncers with body cameras, increased police presence and barring lists are helping to make West Street safer for late night revellers, a bar manager has said.

Four years after a student campaign to highlight the need for increased safety measures at pubs and bars in the city centre, Tiger Works manager Rebecca Elward said precautions had made the hotspot safer for people on nights out.

Miss Elward said: “We have security members on the door, our crack radios which go straight to the police, who we liaise with monthly normally on a Tuesday, and we also have a barring list and a dress code so unwanted people aren’t allowed in the venue.”

Last summer, bollards which block a portion of the street were erected outside some West Street bars, including Tiger Works, as a safety measure. 

Police presence increases on nights such as Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays as the street gets busier and the rowdy crowds become harder to control.

However, some revellers told Shef Live they still felt unsafe on nights out.

Student Lily Smith, 18, of Endcliffe, said: “It gets really busy with drunk people on Wednesdays and the weekends and drunk men often make me and friends uncomfortable.”

She said that while security inside the bars she visited “seemed decent” she had heard of people getting their drinks spiked on nights out.

The issue rose to prominence in 2021 when a student campaign, Claim Back West Street, hit national headlines and encouraged bar owners to hand-out anti-spiking devices.

Miss Elward said police presence, plus the use of body cameras by door staff, had increased reassurance.

She said: “South Yorkshire Police will station six police officers on West Street, two outside each of the venues.

 “Our staff wear body cams, which they didn’t do two years ago, and if none of our staff can get home we provide safe travel home for them if they request it.”

This was enough to reassure other students, who spoke to Shef Live during a night out on West Street.

Jessica Smith, 19, said: “I’ve never felt unsafe on West Street, there’s always bouncers and they’re always keeping everyone safe.

“I do think maybe they could implement some bag checks like Leadmill does.”