Deputy PCC welcomes new campaign tackling violence against women and girls
A leading campaigner for tackling violence against women and girls is urging women to come forward and speak out about where they feel unsafe.
Nottinghamshire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Angela Kandola, who leads on violence against women and girls for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire, gave her backing for the Walk in My Shoes campaign, which is an online reporting tool launched by Nottinghamshire Police earlier this week.
Women and girls are being encouraged to fill out a simple online survey which will be used to make a real difference in their local area.
It may be a particular street, alleyway or side street you avoid or a particular place which makes you feel uncomfortable during a night out in town.
It may be a car park, a bus stop, or just a particular area where you have experienced unwanted attention or behaviour.
Working in partnership to prevent and tackle violence against women and girls in Nottinghamshire is a key campaign in Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden’s new Police and Crime Plan, which launched in March.
The plan - entitled A Safer Nottinghamshire For All - sets out a number of other priorities for policing and public safety over the next four years, including tackling serious violence, antisocial behaviour, enhancing neighbourhood policing and improving community cohesion.
Deputy PCC Angela Kandola said: “Violence against women and girls affects all communities, which is why it’s so important that we work together to prevent harm, provide support, and strengthen partnership responses.
“We know the impact of offences such as rape, domestic abuse, stalking, child sexual abuse, and exploitation is often considerable, far-reaching and long lasting, so its great to see such a hard-hitting, dynamic campaign where communities are invited to have their say.
“Our Nottinghamshire VAWG strategy is another example of the way in which partners are coming together to make a difference to feelings of safety, and bringing down barriers when it comes to reporting of issues.”
The Walk in my Shoes campaign – which will be heavily publicised across the city and county – wants to hear from as many women and girls as possible.
The police will then work with local partners to look at ways these areas can be improved.
This could include additional patrols, better lighting or CCTV coverage.
The force has designing out crime officers that have already visited places such as the walkway between Nottingham Railway Station and Nottingham Contemporary and made suggestions on how to make it feel safer and less attractive to criminals.
Women across the city and county have already indicated they feel hyper-vigilant, intimidated and victimised in some public spaces and are in full support of our campaign.
Local female running group, These Girls Run, is one group which is backing our campaign after changing their routes and even their appearance during some of their runs.
Phoebe Lake, leader of the Nottingham group said: “This campaign is important to us because we just want to raise awareness around women’s safety issues.
“We’ve experienced catcalling from men on our runs, been followed and they’ve joined in our warm-ups and just generally been in our space.
“When I’m running, I do try to, especially in the evenings, keep my hood up and look as least womanly as possible. I wear darker clothes just so it’s not visible that I am a girl and I am running on my own.
“We have collaborated with Nottinghamshire Police to get safety advice for when we’re out running and in general.”
Superintendent Heather Maelor, one of the leads for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) at Nottinghamshire Police’s Prevention Hub said:
“We receive calls from women and girls who are subjected to unwanted behaviour and abuse from men every day.
“To put a stop to this in Nottinghamshire, we want to hear what women and girls from across our city and county have experienced as part of our Walk in My Shoes campaign. We want to know the areas they feel the most unsafe so, where possible, we can come up with solutions collectively with our partners to make real change.
“VAWG is a national threat and we want to ensure that our residents and visitors feel as safe as possible when they are walking around Nottinghamshire.
“So please, complete our survey, tell us your views, and we will act where we can, to ensure you feel safer.”
To take part in the survey click here
You can also watch the campaign video here: