‘FUN police?’ or the people giving up their evening to make sure you get a good night’s sleep?

Whatever your feelings on Oxford City Council’s Party Patrol team, they are here to tackle the city’s noise flashpoints.

Noise pollution officers have this year began pro-actively walking the streets during busy periods to tackle noisy parties.

The Oxford Mail spent the night on the beat with the unit on the Friday before the Jubilee Weekend in East Oxford.

Team leader Karen Dixon said: “This is not about trying to stop people from having fun.

“Having a party is not against the law, we know people need to let their hair down.

“But weekend after weekend in the same areas mean there can be a collective impact on people’s lives.”

Police and council officers patrol the OX3 and OX4 postcodes in roads such as Regent Street and Marston Street on foot and by car.

About 1,000 people complain to the council each year about noise and officers are also on hand to respond to these complaints.

Officers can issue £100 spot fines if partygoers do not quieten down within 10 minutes.

Courts can even seize sound equipment if problems persist, though this has not happened in the city.

Three warnings and one fine have been handed out since the initiative began last month.

Ms Dixon and Cowley Pc Tony Kirby said the night we joined them was “unusually quiet”, with three calls from 10.30pm to 4am.

One is about a group of men singing football songs on a balcony in Jackson Road, Cutteslowe, but they are back inside when we arrive at 1.15am.

The female complainant said: “It is reassuring to know there are people there you can talk to and will help if needed.”

Yet loud music is still spilling from a skylight in Regent Street, the subject of the second complaint.

The complainant is a final-year student trying to sleep before exams and the young man turns down the hip hop music on request.

You might not expect a dinner party to lead to a noise complaint, but we are in Beaumont Road, Headington Quarry, next for just that. Yet the final guests are being waived off as we arrive.

Ms Dixon said: “You get a mixed reaction from people.

“Some are clearly drunk and can be argumentative but some are very apologetic, and want to say sorry to their neighbours.”

The identity of the complainant is never revealed, she said, and warnings usually “do the job”.

The night-time patrols cost the council £12,000 to £14,000 a year in overtime payments.

Pc Kirby said: “The Party Patrol initiative leads to a better response for the public on a Friday and Saturday night because officers will be available to respond to crimes.”