In the light of the tragic death of Sarah Everard, BCP Council is working towards putting in measures to ensure women across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole feel safe.

On Monday 15 March, the leaders of the council set out a number of initiatives. The first is to develop an internal woman’s staff group to understand the experiences of colleagues in and out of the workplace.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Drew Mellor commented, “We all have mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and this senseless death has made us readdress our priorities. We want them to live in a world without fear, in a fairer and safer environment where they can walk home at night without having to looking over their shoulders. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but we understand the need to act on this immediately so we’re addressing the key priorities that will help to bring about the change that is so desperately needed.”

“We want our all our residents to feel safe when out and about and we’re asking people to report any areas that we need to improve on to make them feel safer. That might be additional CCTV, or perhaps streetlights aren’t working somewhere and trees need to be cut back to improve visibility.”

Recently the council has invested in additional Community Safety Accreditation Scheme officers to patrol the streets and deal with anti-social behaviour, while funding for additional CCTV cameras has also been received. Increased community days of action will take place when COVID-19 restrictions allow.

For any residents who feel unsafe and wish to report issues that need addressing for enhanced safety measures across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, please visit www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/report