Making Streets Safer for Women and Girls Across Dorset

Last year, thanks to a successful bid for a significant amount of Safer Streets funding, my Office, BCP Council and Dorset Council, were awarded £785,000 towards projects designed to make Dorset an even safer place to live and visit, with many of these focused solely on tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). It has been a year since that bid was announced and now, during the 16 Days of Activism campaign I would like to give you some updates on the projects which are working to increase the safety of women and girls in Dorset.

The range of projects receiving help is on a scale we have not seen before. From increasing safety of people going to enjoy a night out to providing alcohol and consent training, the benefits of this funding are being felt across the whole county from our urban centres to Dorset’s rural communities. They involve partners across Dorset from charities to local authorities, business organisations and many more. I have always believed that in order to tackle VAWG, change has to be across the whole system, and encompass education, early intervention, better opportunities for safeguarding and societal shifts as well.

CCTV

I am pleased that alongside education and training, the funding has been put towards further CCTV cameras for parts of Bournemouth, Weymouth and Sherborne which as well as acting as a deterrent, ensure even better CCTV coverage of popular night-time economy spots including people’s routes from pubs and bars. As well as these cameras, the Safer Streets funding has enabled the integration of CCTV cameras at Blandford, Gillingham, Lyme Regis, Shaftesbury, Swanage, Sherborne and Wimborne to Dorchester’s control room to improve connectivity and monitoring.

BCP Unity Promise

Earlier this year the BCP Unity Promise was launched, an initiative where businesses and organisations in Bournemouth Town Centre unite in a pledge to protect the safety of women and girls. The scheme aims to enhance the safety and inclusivity of women and girls by shifting the responsibility from them to local businesses, organisations, and communities in the town centre, helping to create a united front.

As part of the pledge, businesses are given the tools and support to build a safer environment in their own venue as well as the wider town centre. Venues are encouraging reporting to help provide a more accurate picture of the types and frequency of incidents. And with more than 30 venues signed up, it is already off to a good start, and is due to roll out to Poole and Christchurch.

Alcohol and Consent Training

I have always been very clear that it is not up to women and girls to find ways to stay safe, and that we need to deal with the issues which lead to so many men and boys committing crimes against women. That’s why the Alcohol and Consent Training Project from STARS is so important. Through Safer Streets, funding has been provided for staff from STARS (Sexual Trauma And Recovery Service) to deliver education for 15-20 year olds in university settings, student halls, town centres and other community settings. This is focused on consent, respectful relationships and bystander training. More than 600 students have engaged in these sessions so far, and through STARS, the funding has provided a role within the student welfare team at Bournemouth and Poole College who gives advice to students and staff, including referrals, risk assessments and healthy relationships.

ID Scanners

In Weymouth, seven ID scanners are available for different night-time economy venues to share and rotate. The equipment scans ID within seconds and detects fake ID, stops underage drinking and deters others from gaining entry to the establishment.

Licensing Security and Vulnerability Initiative (LSAVI)

Across Dorset, venues have been offered the opportunity to benefit from the LSAVI scheme. This is designed to safeguard vulnerable customers, prevent violent behaviour, drug misuse, drink spiking, opportunist theft, promote responsible drinking and improve physical security during the night-time economy. This initiative not only provides benefits to the businesses who choose to be involved but importantly, has been proven to increase feelings of safety and confidence among customers and visitors. Increasing public confidence around licensed venues is an important aspect of our work in Dorset to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls.

Pineapple Project

The Pineapple Project (learn more about the initiative here) has expanded their work to engage with 700 school children. They offer support to girls and discuss their experiences outside of the home, providing education on the risks of exploitation and sexual assault so they feel safer in public places. 

Community Guardianship Scheme

This is a new volunteering scheme which is recruiting residents interested in helping people keep safe in Bournemouth town centre on a Friday and Saturday night. The Community Guardianship Volunteers will help anyone by providing water, foil blankets for warmth, mobile phone usage, assistance getting home and general reassurance, patrolling central Bournemouth between 8pm and midnight.

Their role will support the services already working the night-time economy, not replace them, with the scheme working in tandem with other BCP Community Safety projects such as BCP Unity Promise, The Safe Places Scheme, and the Safe Bus.

I encourage people to sign up to become a Community Guardian as it will not only help strengthen the BCP community but also means there are more opportunities for people to seek help, should they need it. You can apply here.

All of these Safer Streets initiatives are key steps forward in the shared mission to reduce violence to keep women and girls safe. But we need everyone to embrace the changes needed and join forces to ensure we drive down these crimes. It is only through a widespread cultural shift and an acknowledgement we all have a part to play, that we can bring about the changes needed. I will continue to work with any group that wants to make Dorset safer for women and girls, focused on my aim to make Dorset the safest county.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner