Latest news

Safety schemes set to make an impact across Wigan Borough

A range of projects aimed at promoting personal safety are to be rolled out across some of Wigan Borough’s most popular nightspots.

As part of the Safety of Women at Night initiative, the local authority will be working with bars, clubs, restaurants and taxi companies to raise awareness and raise safety and security standards.

Training schemes, engagement workshops and pop-up safe spaces in district centres are also part of the wide-ranging plans.

Wigan Council has received more than £273k from the Home Office for the projects to be delivered by the Wigan Borough Place and Community Safety Partnership.

Councillor Kevin Anderson, cabinet portfolio holder for police, crime and civil contingencies, said: “The activity we have planned is providing a great opportunity to make a real difference and promote behaviour change.

“We all have a role to play when it comes to ensuring women and girls feel safer on the streets of our borough.

“These projects will help to promote safety for everyone with a particular focus on tackling violence against women and girls.”

The plans include a return for the St John’s Ambulance led Safety Havens (a highly visible safe place, providing reassuring presence) in key locations at weekends and safety marshals will be in operation.

Training will also be provided for night-time economy staff to identify issues and provide adequate support for anyone who may need it.

The council will also be promoting the Ask For Angela initiative, which is already in place in towns and cities across the UK.

Anyone who feels unsafe or vulnerable can approach staff at licenced premises and ask for Angela, with training provided for employees on how to provide support.

Engagement and education programmes will be held at schools and colleges across the borough and the Wigle Dance group will be holding workshops to share the key messages of the projects.

Officers will also support with the LSAVI (Licensing, security and vulnerability initiative) that will help licenced premises, working in partnership with Greater Manchester Police.

Councillor Paul Kenny, lead cabinet member for district centres and night-time economy, said: “Clearly there will be a lot of concentrated activity over the next two months but our focus will not stop there.

“It is a key part of our Deal 2030 plan that we want to ensure Wigan Borough is a safe place to live and work for us all.

“These projects will help inform our future local initiatives and will also support the Greater Manchester #IsThisOk campaign, as part of the Gender-Based Violence Strategy.”

Further details of the district centre engagement and events will be provided in due course.

Oldham Council’s Youth Service and Oldham Street Angels have launched a new initiative – Trusted People – aimed at helping women and girls feel safe and confident when using the tram network.

Staff and volunteers are riding on Metrolink, visiting tram stops, and the areas around them, talking with residents of all ages.

The teams are offering a friendly face around the Oldham tram stops in case residents are feeling uneasy, especially as the winter nights draw in.

Until March 2022, the Youth Service are covering the stops between Freehold and Oldham Mumps at times when they are busy with school pupils and college students, with the Street Angels covering the later hours.

Funding for Trusted People comes after Greater Manchester secured £549,744 from the Home Office to launch a series of schemes as part of the Greater Manchester-wide Safer Streets campaign, which aims to help helping women and girls feel safer when out and about in the city-region.

It follows the launch of Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Gender-Based Violence Strategy last month, which outlines how GMCA and its partners will tackle the many forms of gender-based violence through a whole-system approach over the next 10 years.

Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods , said: “Metrolink has had a huge impact on Oldham - it’s made it so much easier for our residents to get around and connected the town better with the City region.

“Thousands of people use the tram every day, but it is unacceptable that a small number of women and girls cannot use public transport without feeling unsafe or being harassed.

“That’s why initiatives like Trusted People are important. Our Youth Service staff, and the Street Angels are there to provide reassurance and can be approached at any time.

“If you need support and see them please reach out to them.”

Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, is looking to volunteer with one of the Street Angels patrols in the coming weeks.

She said: “Our Youth Team and the Street Angels already do a brilliant job.

“They provide a friendly face, which can be really welcoming during the dark winter nights.

“Over the coming weeks thousands of people will be coming into Oldham to shop and enjoy themselves so it’s important the council and our partners are helping them feel safer with our Trusted People scheme.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, Bev Hughes, said : “The Street Angels already provide a trusting presence in Oldham, so the Trusted People initiative is an extension of this, working with the youth team to provide reassurance and instil feelings of confidence and safety when using our public transport network.

“This is part of a series of interventions we are putting in place so women and girls can feel safer and be safer when out and about and is in response to concerns raised when shaping our ten-year strategy to end gender-based violence.”

Greater Manchester has secured £549,744 from the Home Office to launch a series of schemes aimed at helping women and girls feel safer when out and about in the city-region.

It follows the launch of Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Gender-Based Violence Strategy last month, which outlines how GMCA and its partners will tackle the many forms of gender-based violence through a whole-system approach over the next 10 years.

The strategy was shaped following extensive consultation and engagement with individuals, professionals, community groups and charities including those that support victims. During the consultation, street harassment and harassment on and around public transport were some of the most frequently mentioned issues raised by women and girls who said they wanted to feel safer and know who to contact if they did feel unsafe.

The ‘Safer Streets’ fund, a Home Office fund originally launched in 2020, allows Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities to apply for funding for crime prevention plans. Greater Manchester’s successful partnership bid, submitted by GMCA, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and Oldham Council, will be used to deploy and test several interventions on the tram network and at key stops to respond to the issues raised by women and girls. If proved successful, the schemes could be rolled at more widely, including beyond transport.

Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, Bev Hughes, said: “The Safer Streets funding will enable us to implement several interventions to address the issues of street harassment and feelings of being unsafe on public transport that were frequently raised by women and girls during our Gender-Based Strategy public consultation and engagement process.

“GMCA has worked with partners to develop a long-term strategy to end gender-based violence and ensure Greater Manchester can be one of the best places in the world to grow up, get on and grow old. The Safer Streets fund pilot schemes are just the first steps in our 10-year journey to enhance the safety of women and girls, while preventing gender-based violence from happening in the first place and challenging the attitudes and inequalities that enable it.”

The funding will cover pilot interventions including:

TfGM’s TravelSafe Manager, Kate Green , said: “We don’t just want people to be safe when using public transport, it’s really important to us that they feel safe and confident too.

“We know that concerns about safety can be a real barrier to using public transport, including for some women and I’d like to reassure all existing and potential tram, train and bus users, that their safety is always our number one priority.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to secure the funding to introduce a range of measures that will further support the work we are doing with the police, operators and other partners to keep our networks as safe as possible.”

Amanda Chadderton, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and cabinet member for Neighbourhoods, said: “It’s great news that this funding has been secured, particularly when the importance of tackling gender-based violence has never been more apparent.

“Women should be able to use public transport without being harassed and feel safe when walking around our neighbourhoods. It is unacceptable that, even in 2021, this is still not the case.

“That’s why this funding, and the wider strategy, is so important. It’s about educating men and boys to modify their behaviour; it’s about ensuring more people can recognise and report crimes where they occur; and it’s about creating a safer Oldham and Greater Manchester for all our women and girls.”

You can find out more about the Gender-Based Violence Strategy on our website here: Greater Manchester’s plan to tackle Gender-Based Violence.