25th November is the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the start of a global 16 Days of Action against gender-based violence. During this period we wanted to update you about our important work to improve women’s safety in Lambeth.
The programme focused on a series of practical interventions aimed at increasing safety and feelings of safety for women and girls. Using crime data mapping, both Lambeth and Southwark targeted key hotspot areas along the borders between the two boroughs.
Over the past 12 months a new team of dedicated wardens for on-street harassment and abuse, and anti-social behaviour, were recruited and deployed to undertake regular patrols across the borough using the data collected. Additional CCTV operatives dedicated to on-street harassment and re-deployable cameras have been installed around the borough as well as specialist training for security professionals working within the area, delivered by our partners Good Night Out.
40 Safe Havens have been recruited at premises in known harassment hotspots where women and other vulnerable people can access safety and support when in need at night-time. Staff within the Safe Haven offer support to anyone who feels unsafe or has been harassed, including helping organise safe transport home or calling family, friends, or the police.
Cllr Dr. Mahamed Hashi, Cabinet member for Safer Communities said:
“Ensuring our women and girls feel safe when traveling through our borough is one of our top priorities, and although our Home Office funding has ended we will continue to roll out new practical interventions and campaigns to target perpetrators and support survivors.”
“Tackling street harassment and safety is the responsibility of us all and we look forward to working with our neighbouring boroughs in the future to ensure women and girls can access support where needed regardless of where borough lines start and end.”
“I want to encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences an incident to use our reporting tool Commonplace to let us know, so we can use this data to continue rolling out our initiatives throughout Lambeth.”
The Safer Streets 4 Home Office funding has ended with the programme building on the commitments set out in Lambeth’s third Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, which was published in 2021.
