A Government Minister has praised work being done by Conservative-Led Torbay Council to enhance the safety of women enjoying a night out, in response to a question from Torbay MP Kevin Foster about the Government taking further measures to deal with spiking.
Ahead of the festive season dozens of businesses signed up to Torbay Council’s new Safety of Women at Night Charter, which is being championed by Goodrington with Roselands Councillor Hayley Tranter. By signing the charter, businesses promise to:
- Change the conversation by encouraging men in their organisation to think about what they can do to keep women safe.
- Appoint a champion to drive change.
- Run positive public/staff facing communication, both online and in their premises.
- Support staff and members of the public by creating clear routes for reporting unacceptable behaviour.
- Train staff on how to respond when an issue occurs.
- Adapt their spaces to make them safer and reduce the risk of crime.
The SWAN Charter has come about thanks to funding from the Home Office last year as part of round 4 the Safer Streets Fund. One of the focuses of the programme was work to discourage anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls. In praising the scheme Home Office Minister Laura Farris “congratulated” Cllr Tranter on her “excellent” work.
Commenting Torbay MP Kevin Foster said: “A vital part of having a thriving hospitality and tourism sector in our bay is ensuring people feel safe on a night out. Spiking creates fear and can have devastating impacts on victims of it, I welcome the steps being taken to crackdown on this disgraceful practice.”
