More to do to improve safety for women –Raab
THERE is “more” to do when it comes to improving safety for women on Britain’s streets, a Government minister has said.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that, while new measures are being introduced, it was appalling that women still suffered fear, intimidation and threats.
Mr Raab told Sky News: “I think it is appalling that women still suffer the fear, the intimidation, the threats – and I say that as a son, a husband and a brother of a sister.
“That’s why we are increasing the number of police by 20,000, we’ve heard new measures to make the streets safer with CCTV and lighting overnight, we’ve got two bits of legislation going through the House of Commons to increase the sentencing,” he added.
“I was a justice minister twice – I’ve been looking at those issues, I worked on the regional increase in stalking sentences. But clearly we’ve got to do more.”
Meanwhile, Government adviser Nimco Ali described the ongoing political debate over violence against women following the death of Sarah Everard as a “watershed moment”.
Ms Ali, who advises ministers on combating sexual violence against women, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that things were changing. She said: “We have to be able to work with government and I do think this is a watershed moment, where the Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Justice Secretary are all listening.
“I know how we can be critical on a day-to-day basis, but I honestly think there’s a massive opportunity for us to really come together and really ensure that all those voices are at the heart of the new legislation.”
Their comments come after Downing Street said it was taking a series of “immediate steps” to improve security, including the roll-out across the country of pilots of a programme where uniformed and plain-clothes officers seek to actively identify predatory and suspicious offenders in the night-time economy.
Dubbed “Project Vigilant”, the programme can involve undercover officers attending areas around clubs and bars, along with increased police patrols as people leave at closing time. Other steps announced by
Downing Street include a doubling of the Safer Streets fund, which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV, to £45 million.
Mr Raab said there needed to be a “zero tolerance” approach to the “very small minority” who harass women on the country’s streets.
He told BBC Breakfast: “We need to have zero tolerance. Of course all of us need to bring our children up the right way, make sure we are promoting education and equality about this.”
Four people were arrested and two received fixed penalty notices amid further protests over the policing of the Sarah Everard vigil. Demonstrators again took to the streets of the capital on Monday to continue to protest over the police’s handling of last Saturday’s vigil, as well as over the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick, after calls for her resignation in the wake of the events on Clapham Common, where crowds gathered to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive.