The Safety of Women at Night Fund will award up to £5 million to
22 organisations focused on improving the safety of women and
girls at night.
The bids include initiatives such as drink spiking detection
kits, a transport safety campaign and trained staff to support
safe taxi journeys.
The Home Secretary has today (Wednesday 10 November) announced
the successful bids across England and Wales for projects from
the Safety of Women at Night Fund.
The fund was launched in July with up to £5 million made
available for projects and initiatives to improve the safety of
women in public spaces at night.
Successful bids will build on the efforts already underway
through the £25 million third round of Safer Streets funding
which included a range of interventions including educational
programmes to raise awareness and more streetlights and CCTV.
The 22 successful bids are from civil society organisations,
local authorities and police and crime commissioners across
England and Wales. These include:
Bristol City Council will receive funding for a trial rollout of
kits to detect drink spiking which will be made available to all
police officers and at 60 night-time economy venues. This will
enable officers to test drinks on the spot preventing assaults
and helping them to gain early evidence for any investigation.
Cheshire PCC will improve the current call handling technology to
provide an instant visible and reassuring response to a female
calling for police support from any urban area. Call handlers
will be able to have direct visual access to callers/victims and
view any evidence of an offence.
Sussex PCC, Northamptonshire OPCC, West Yorkshire Combined
Authority, and North Wales OPCC will pilot schemes introducing
volunteer ‘taxi marshals’ who will be trained staff at taxi ranks
to provide support and prevent pick-ups from unregistered taxis
so that women and girls can access safe transport home.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority will launch a Train Safety
campaign to promote access to an online link with safety
information for public transport users, such as bus tracking, so
there is no longer a need to stand at a bus stop alone waiting
for a delayed bus.
In July the government published a new and ambitious
cross-government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere
– at home, online, at work and on the streets.
Home Secretary said:
Violence against women and girls in our country’s nightlife is
still an awful reality for many, and horrific crimes such as
sexual assault have devastating consequences.
Working with the police, local authorities and venues these
innovative projects will identify and crack down on those who
pose a risk and give women the practical support when they need
it.
We must use every possible tool at our disposal to ensure people
feel safe at night when walking home, using transport, or
enjoying a night out with friends.
Bedfordshire PCC , Prevention Lead at the
Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said:
No one should be made to feel scared or intimidated while they
enjoy our vibrant British nightlife. PCCs are committed to making
our communities safer, including reducing violence against women
and girls. This money will enable us to support practical
solutions which make people feel safer and build an evidence base
for what works.
The Home Office, with the support of the National Police Chiefs’
Council, has also launched a new online tool called StreetSafe,
piloted across police forces in England and Wales. It allows the
public, particularly women and girls, to pinpoint areas on a map
where they feel unsafe and say why. The information is used by
police forces to better work with communities to improve local
safety.
The government is also funding the first ever National Police
Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, DCC Maggie Blyth,
focused entirely on tackling this abhorrent issue and
coordinating police action across England and Wales.
