‘Fantastic night-time initiative’ praised

A CHARITY working with domestic violence victims has welcomed the new initiative to protect women in the nighttime economy.

Claire Lambon, from Stop Domestic Abuse, said it would give women and girls ‘the confidence to feel safe’.

She said: ‘This is a fantastic initiative and approach to ensure the safety of women on a night out and to tackle male violence against women.

‘I hope to see many of our night-time venues across the city embrace the use of the app, especially because of this unique feature.

‘Portsmouth has lots to offer, including a vibrant nightlife, and it is important that we are doing all we can to keep our community and visitors safe.

‘If women feel threatened or vulnerable while on a date or night out, it is vital they have access to support from those around them and I believe this app feature will give women and girls across the city the confidence to feel safe.

‘I would urge venues taking part to ensure staff are fully trained in how to signpost help and support so that women can enjoy themselves without fear of being unsafe.’

It comes as Portsmouth police district commander Clare Jenkins said her team have been offering all venues welfare and vulnerability training.

The offer is part of the police’s efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.

She said: ‘Violence, intimidation and harassment of any kind towards women and girls is not acceptable in any form and we fully welcome any initiative that helps to tackle this within Portsmouth.

‘Women and girls deserve to feel safe and we support any local action that strives to improve the safety of communities in the city.

‘We have been upping our patrols at key times around our bars and clubs, as well as working with licensed premises within the city around how they safeguard their customers, with all venues having been offered welfare and vulnerability training.

‘This is so that staff are able to identify potentially vulnerable people and how to properly safeguard them.

‘The training encourages premises to adopt safe areas and encourage the use of welfare officers, as well as ensuring that people feel they can easily report an incident to staff.

‘While we support any initiative that seeks to improve the safety of our communities, we’d like to remind people that they must always call 999 if a crime is in progress or if they believe they are in immediate danger.’