Half of women feel unsafe if walking alone after dark

ABOUT half of women feel unsafe when walking alone after dark, whether in a busy public place or on a quiet street near their home, a survey shows.

Just 19 per cent of men felt uneasy on their own after nightfall on a bustling high street and 15 per cent did not feel safe walking alone after dark on empty streets in their own neighbourhoods, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The survey, of 16,112 people aged 16 and over in Britain, also found that 81 per cent of women and 39 per cent of men felt unsafe walking alone after dark in a park or other open space.

Women aged 16-34 and 75 and over were most likely to feel unsafe after dark in a public space or a quiet street near their home.

Nick Stripe, head of the ONS crime statistics branch, said: “This is the first time the ONS has asked people about feelings of personal safety when walking alone in different public settings.

“There are some clear findings: men and women both feel less safe after dark, but the extent to which women feel unsafe is significantly greater.”