Women’s night safety charter launched at Safer Streets Conference

Richmond Upon Thames, in partnership with other South West London boroughs, has launched a night safety charter to help women feel safer when out in the evening.

The Safer Streets Conference, which took place on Wednesday 22 March in Kingston, brought together local authorities, Metropolitan Police, the Kingston and Richmond Youth Council and voluntary sector organisations working on women’s safety. It continues the joint working of the Safer Streets Partnership, the Met Police South West London and the work being done by our Council with professionals and community groups to deliver a comprehensive approach to tackling the issue of violence against women and girls.

As Richmond Upon Thames is the safest borough in London, the council is committed to building on this by working with partners and local groups to improve safety, and perceptions of safety for all residents. Businesses across the borough and around South West London are being encouraged to sign up to the charter. The simple pledges are designed to ensure every resident feels secure in our community and helps to create inclusive environments that are welcoming to everyone.

Examples include:

• Demonstrating your organisation takes women’s safety at night seriously
• Training staff to help them be better equipped to dealing with vulnerable customers
• Encouraging reporting by victims or bystanders
• Designing safer work and public spaces

To support local businesses to deliver on their commitments under the pledge, the partnership has developed a business toolkit that provides a range of digital resources and access to training for night time economy venues.

A new campaign to engage men and boys and encourage them to take an active stand against violence against women and girls was also launched during the conference. The #StepUpSWLondon campaign is designed to educate men and boys about what problematic behaviours are and how they can stand up to them without putting themselves at risk. The campaign will also encourage men to become active, continuous allies by signing up for the White Ribbon Promise.

The Safer Streets partnership, which includes Kingston, Merton and Wandsworth, was awarded £200,000 of government funding last year to continue its innovative work to make the streets safer for women and girls. This latest phase is part of the ongoing work to improve safety across the borough’s evening and night-time economies.