Women and girls asked to report "unsafe spaces" in Derbyshire

The county is part of a new Home Office trial

Derbyshire Police chief constable Rachel Swann says the new tool will help target "problem areas"
Author: Liam ArrowsmithPublished 2nd Sep 2021

Women and girls in Derbyshire are being asked to use a new online tool to report spaces they feel "unsafe" in.

The county is part of a new Home Office trial that will allow women and girls to mark locations on a new website.

It's part of the government's strategy for targeting violence against women and girls.

StreetSafe, which can be found on the national police website, allows users to pinpoint on a map where they feel uncomfortable.

A crime doesn't have to have taken place, but it gives users the opportunity to tell police why they feel unsafe there.

Welcoming the new service, Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “StreetSafe will provide the police with an accurate insight into public safety and fear of crime across our neighbourhoods.

“The safety of women and girls is a top priority and I am committed to helping reduce vulnerability and increase confidence within our public spaces.

“Effective policing relies on intelligence from the public to help plan and prioritise resources and I urge people to tell us where and why they feel unsafe.

“This information will help me to ensure that every penny spent on safety is invested in the right areas – those places where it will make the most difference. StreetSafe will help identify locations where more work is needed to make the public, women and girls in particular, safer.”

Chief Constable Rachel Swann said: “As national gender lead the safety of women and girls is of high priority to me and to Derbyshire Constabulary.

“Street Safe will help to inform us where women and girls feel unsafe and why. We can then use this information to work in partnership with other agencies to identify problem areas and utilise local knowledge to tackle issues and improve public spaces.”