Women’s Night Safety Charter launched at South West London Safer Streets conference

Kingston is one of the safest boroughs in London and the council is committed to working with partners to improve safety, and perceptions of safety, for all residents. Businesses across Kingston and around South West London are being encouraged to sign up to the charter, which sets out a number of simple pledges. These include an organisation demonstrating it takes women’s safety at night seriously, trains staff appropriately, encourages reporting by victims or bystanders, and works on designing safer public and work spaces. 

The Safer Streets conference, which took place on 22 March in Kingston, saw local authorities across South West London come together with the Met Police and voluntary sector organisations working on women’s safety. It builds on the joint working between Kingston, Richmond, Merton and Wandsworth councils and the Met Police South West London. Led by Kingston, the partnership was awarded £200,000 of government funding last year to continue its innovative work to make the streets safer for women and girls. 

Stephan Currie, General Manager at PRYZM nightclub in Kingston said:

“The South West London Night Charter is an excellent thing for both our customers and our business. Kingston is a very safe place, and we want to do all we can to reassure our female customers of that. We also want to demonstrate that we take the safety of women at night very seriously and that’s exactly what this charter enables us to do. All businesses should be signing up for this. It’s really important that a business trades on its reputation and looking after guests, developing that good reputation can only be rewarding.” 

To support local businesses to deliver on their commitments under the pledge, Kingston Council has developed a Business Toolkit - a range of digital resources and access to training for night time economy venues. It has also produced a promotional video showcasing the importance of the charter and encouraging businesses to sign up.

The Safer Streets conference also saw the launch of a new campaign to engage men and boys and encourage them to take an active stand against the violence against women and girls in our borough. The #StepUpSWLondon campaign aims to educate men and boys about what the violent behaviours actually are and how they can stand up to them in a safe and confident manner. The campaign will also encourage men to become active, continuous allies by signing up for the White Ribbon Promise.   

Kingston Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Cllr Sabeh Hamed said: 

“Kingston is one of the safest boroughs in London, with a strong track record of community safety. We are committed to making our borough even safer and our approach is rooted in partnership work, prevention and early intervention. The safety of all women and girls has always been a high priority for us. We are committed to supporting businesses to improve women’s experience of going out in the evening - by making sure they feel safe, and are safe. We are also committed to encouraging men to step up against unacceptable behaviours targeting women and girls, by fulfilling the White Ribbon Promise.” 

In other community safety work, last month Kingston also joined forces with national charity Crimestoppers to support young people across the borough to understand and feel empowered to report crime. The Fearless campaign focuses on informing young people about the safe and anonymous way to report crime or suspicious activity. Fearless staff have been working across the borough to share information resources with schools and youth groups, as well as running dedicated information sessions for professionals who work with young people. You can read more at Fearless.org