Building Strong Communities

Having reviewed this thread, I would agree that many of us, male or female, of all ages and orientations do not feel safe in the evenings. This thread contains some interesting suggestions to address the issue, but that is mainly once it has arisen. I hasten to add that I have no wish to diminish those suggestions. However, I think we also need to consider the underlying issues and causes of why members of our community think that they can carry out intimidation (or worse) conduct to other members of the community. And, if they are doing that on the streets, then what are they doing (or will they do) in their home environment and at what further social cost? I think we need a co-ordinated approach of support in the evenings, but also campaigns to highlight (and shame) the conduct from the outset. Looking at it another way -- the more vaccines we have (I am speaking figuratively) the fewer ambulances we will need

Safety really goes to the heart of what makes a city great, we need to start looking out for one another more, so that possibilities of being targeted are eliminated. Maybe free buses for women after dark with more female bus drivers would help. Obviously better pay for bus drivers and cleaners so that no one needs to walk long distances alone or find buses unwelcoming and dirty.

Be aware of the "Ask for Angela" campaign that's widely supported by most 'hospitality' venues. In principle, if a customer feels threatened in any way, he/she approaches the bar staff and says "Ask for Angela" whereupon the staff will usher the 'victim' into a safe part of the premises and render assistance - whether that be calling a friend, a cab or the police (depending on whatever the situation demands) while maintaining a distance between the victim and the perceived threat. Venues that support this facility have posters in toilets (mostly in the ladies').

A similar campaign could be rolled out to retail and other venues.

A good idea but please don’t forget how scary it can be for young men too. Look also at the assault figures for them. We need to have a general zero tolerance approach to all violence.

Can police patrol tube stations and bus stations. Street precence can deter crime. Have tube staff at station platforms like in Dubai mtero.
Have a phone number to alert for immediate help and alert location if someone is following or being creepy and inappropriate or losing tempers and threatening

It's a good idea.

I feel like reiterating that strong street lighting is essential to making our streets safer. Psychologically, it prevents ill-intentioned men from attempting anything because it makes them feel 'watched'. And we know that prevention is better for everyone - it saves female victims time and money that would otherwise be spent on lawyers and mental health specialists, it saves the police and the courts time and money that would otherwise be spent on prosecution. Most importantly, it spares women trauma.

On top of that, by encouraging women to stay out late at night, strong street lighting would prove to be beneficial to the hospitality and entertainment industry - the more women are out at night, the more restaurants, clubs and other night venues will benefit in revenue.

I agree wholly with the intent behind your idea and your suggestion on the businesses being able to offer a form of refuge.
Frankly there's a problem though. The case most recently it's a serving police officer! One who patrols Westminster and number 10.
It's not surprsing seeing as the power-enthused entitlement and arrogance of people like sadiq, who drive around in their £300k motorcades sends a signal to community officers that they are somehow special.

Furthermore, there are crime ridden areas of London where no one, male or female, is safe. Those areas have a poor policing response for fear of being labelled rascist. The only outcome of this response is that the areas now pose a persistent risk, whilst the PC brigade do nothing to solve the issue.

There is already a similar process in place with pharmacies where a female can seek refugee by quoting a code name.
Unfortunately with the recent incident, it was during "lockdown" with restrictions in place, such as many businesses not being able to open and less people on the streets near them, with visits to homes of others banned in theory.
Sadly some men will act badly even when many others around, such as on public transport, and it requires other members of the public to speak out.