Call for women to have say in fight against crime

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness is calling on the people in the North East, particularlywomen,tohavetheir say in the fight against crimes in public spaces like street harassment and violence.

Catching the Metro to work, taking the children to the beach, walking home from a night out in the city centre – a new online survey aims to understand how safe people feel when going about their daily lives, in our region.

Police and Crime Commissioners have been invited to apply for a Home Office fund aimed at tackling violence against women and girls.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “Our region, thankfully, is one of the safest, but I am more than aware there are still places and situations where people feel unsafe and vulnerable and we need to do something about it.

“The terrible experience of Sarah Everard in London struck a chord with so many women I know and the spotlight is on women’s safety now more than ever, and rightly so.

"Sarah should have been safe, and she wasn’t.

“So I want people to make the most of this opportunity to speak out and tell me what they think so we can improve safety in our region and improve lives for everyone.”

The survey was launched today and will run until June 21. Survey findings will be incorporated into the Safer Streets 3 bids, which have to be submitted by 15 July 2021. The Government is expected to announce successful bids at the end of August.

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey, go to: http://bit.ly/NorthumbriaSSFR3