Street pastors to help keep women safe

A TOTAL £300,000 is to be spent keeping women safe in Burton and other Staffordshire towns in the county, including paying for marshals and street pastors.

The marshals and street pastors will be stationed at busy night-time locations offering advice, basic first aid and help in managing the allocation of taxis to women

The project comes after the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by police officer Wayne Couzens in London sparked a national outcry when she was abducted when Couzens pretended to arrest her as she walked home over a Covid breach.

The funding from the Home Office aims to prevent violence against women and girls at night-time, including at venues and on public transport used in the evenings.

The funding is part of the Safety of the Women at Night (SWAN) Fund, following a successful bid submitted by the Staffordshire commissioner for police, fire & rescue and crime Ben Adams, who said: “Reducing violence against women and girls – and the fear of violence – is a key priority for me as commissioner.

“This funding is a welcome addition to vital work already underway across the area with our partners. It will enable us to invest in a range of practical initiatives that not only increase the safety of women and girls but also ensure they feel safer too when enjoying nights out in our popular towns and cities.”

The SWAN initiative alsoforms part of Staffordshire’s approach to reducing violence more broadly, including establishing a Violence Against Women and Girls Commission, to deliver related actions and launching a partnership Violence Reduction Alliance to deliver the local Violence Strategy.