North East's parks get funding boost to improve safety for women and girls
The Safer Parks project is being led by Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner
Last updated 6th Apr 2022
A campaign - led by Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner - to make women feel safer in the North East's parks and green spaces is underway.
Kim McGuinness' office is working with local councils and partner groups on the Safer Parks scheme.
It follows recent calls for better conversations around women's safety in public places - following the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said:
“I love how lucky we are in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear to have so many really good parks – great for walks, for families, but people have told us they don’t always feel safe using them. We have to change this.
“Parks should be at the heart of communities and places of escape – safety fears should not and must not prevent people from using them.
“To make sure parks are safer for women we must listen to their stories; and we are. And the things we are making happen to improve safety will benefit everyone.”
Earlier this year, the Commissioner’s Safer Streets Survey found that 62% felt unsafe or very unsafe in parks at night.
89% felt unsafe due to men/boys and groups of people.
Now, over £300 000 is being pumped into the Safer Parks project, across 6 areas:
Mowbray Park, Sunderland
North Marine Park, South Shields
Saltwell Park, Gateshead
Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Richardson Dees Park, Wallsend
Hirst Park, Ashington
Kim McGuinness added:
“We’re got a range of specialists on board too, along with our police force and our councils and together we’re throwing a great deal of effort at coming up with real solutions.
"A lot of these improvements will also help reduce other crime such as ASB, drug dealing, and hate crime and so on.
“Whether it’s help points to encourage both victims and bystanders to report concerns or underpasses with better lighting – we are taking notice of what local women are telling us is needed and we are working to make things better, to make things safer.”
As well as safety issues, the concern of anti-social behaviour is also being focused on,
Heather Insull from Youth Focus NE has been running workshops for children and young people in Gateshead's Saltwell Park, where they provide creative activities, something to eat and conversations and sessions on safety in the community, and topics like healthy relationships and consent.
She tells us the kids have raised similar concerns;
"They're more than happy to walk around in a group - on their own they don't feel as safe,
"And that's just due to there is such a lack of lighting in this park, and I think, once it hits a certain time it just goes completely pitch black."
She says she hopes the sessions they've been running will be able to continue;
"Hopefully, from the short time we've been here, people - especially the young people we've engaged with - have a bit of a better understanding of how to stay safe,
What a healthy relationship is, all those different types of skills they're not necessarily taught in schools, but they really do need to know about."
You can find out more about Youth Focus NE here.
Over the past few weeks events have been running in all 6 parks, ranging from creative activities, to fitness, Tai Chi and nature themed workshops.
Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Neil Hutchison said: “We very much welcome this funding which will build on the work already under way to keep our communities safe.
“We know how popular our beautiful parks are and we want everyone to feel safe when enjoying these spaces.
“We will continue to listen to the communities we are privileged to serve and work with our partners as we all come together to help ensure this region remains one of the safest in the country.”