How South West London is making its venues a safer place one drink at a time
Pubs and clubs in South West London have received safeguarding training from police teams to protect their visitors.
Neighbourhood police teams, including the South West’s Licensing Team, delivered: ‘Ask for Angela’ and Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training from March.
The free training was delivered to businesses across the borough, following the Metropolitan Police’s enhanced response to tackling violence against women and girls.
Police Inspector Trudy Hutchinson who leads the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy for neighbourhood teams in the South West Basic Command Unit (BCU) said: “Protecting people from violence is our top priority.
“We want our communities to feel safe and be safe and we want people to go out and be confident.”
The topic of safeguarding has become a more prevalent one in recent years, following increased crimes against women and the highly publicised murder of Sarah Everard in March last year.
Regarding this issue Inspector Hutchinson added: "I am incredibly proud to work for the mayor and the officers that serve in it, but when such an incident has occurred, it reflects on all of us as a service.
"We're absolutely committed to doing everything we can to keep women and girls safe and to feel safe across the BCU."
The training promotes safety and vulnerability awareness , such as the prevention of spiking for those operating in and around licensed premises.
Met Police defined vulnerability as: “anyone exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.”
Police Inspector Trudy Hutchinson discusses the initiatives that South West BCU are running.
Metropolitan Police defined vulnerability as
“anyone exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.”
One venue that has taken part is Kingston based nightclub, Pryzm, which has a dedicated welfare space and team who patrol both inside and outside the venue.
The club also has a ‘no single entry’ policy, which prevents people from entering alone and being at risk of being targeted by others.
General Manager Stephan Currie said: “When we reopened in August, the number of sexual assaults was way above what we were used to prior to lockdown, so we realised there was a need for us to tackle this head on.”
The reason for the increased number of incidents following lockdown can be attributed to the adjustment of greater in-person interaction.
Many individuals who turned 18 during the pandemic may have never engaged with the establishments prior and would not know what to expect and how to behave.
Regarding the training Currie said: “From the first day that we undertook the training, they (staff) really got behind it, and this is something they can use at work, and when they're out and about with their friends.”
Pryzm confirmed that following the training, the staff recognised an incident on the first evening regarding a young woman receiving unwanted attention.
They were able to assist the individual quickly and prevent the incident from becoming more serious.
The venue also has 160 CCTV cameras that can easily share footage with police, as well as visible safeguarding posters including ‘Ask for Angela’, which can be mentioned to all members of staff.
Anti-Spiking lids are available for free to all visitors in Pryzm and can be attached to any cup as a sticker.
Anti-Spiking lids are available for free to all visitors in Pryzm and can be attached to any cup as a sticker.
Pryzm has an area with coats and blankets next to the Welfare section for individuals who may require support and warmth.
Pryzm has an area with coats and blankets next to the Welfare section for individuals who may require support and warmth.
Posters are visible at various points inside Pryzm.
Posters are visible at various points inside Pryzm.
A separate 'Ladies Lounge' is available within the venue for females only, with support and separate facilities inside. CCTV cameras are also positioned outside the entrance.
A separate 'Ladies Lounge' is available within the venue for females only, with support and separate facilities inside. CCTV cameras are also positioned outside the entrance.
Interview with Stephan Currie, General Manager of Pryzm Kingston.
Interview with Stephan Currie, General Manager of Pryzm Kingston.
The code-phrase of asking for ‘Angela’ was initially launched in 2016 in Lincolnshire, but was updated and reintroduced across the UK this year.
The initiative is seen as a more discrete indication that allows those who feel vulnerable or threatened to seek assistance from staff.
Once approached, the trained member of staff can provide support by helping the individual reunite with friends, organise safe travel home, call venue security or contact the police.
In March 2022, seven training sessions for WAVE and ‘Ask for Angela’ were delivered to 151 people from 75 different businesses and organisations across the South West BCU.
This area consists of Wandsworth, Richmond, Merton and Kingston which were all merged in 2018 to form one single policing unit, following successful trials of the project in East and North London.
The positive response to the training across various boroughs has confirmed that the programme will be shared more widely across the UK.
Regarding the reasons for why training was needed, Licensing Sergeant Richard Compton from the Met Police Licensing team said: “As we came out of lockdown, we had this large gap of people not knowing necessarily how to behave in and around licenced premises.
“And all of a sudden, they were given this very large amount of freedom and that's when we saw an increase in problems around licenced venues.
“We also had a very large gap in inexperienced bar staff and one of the biggest things we saw across the whole industry, was also the lack of security staff.”
The licensing team often act as the first point of contact between the police and venues.
The team review licensing applications and work with internal partners, including the safer neighbourhoods teams, to ensure venues are properly licensed and safe for the public.
Licensing Sergeant Compton added: “We've had venues reporting back to us that have thanked us for the training, because they've previously thought about how they would deal with such an incident and then been able to deal with that.
“There's a lot of work to be done but we look to continue with that programme, and identify those premises that are still coming to notice with issues around assaults or sexual assaults or vulnerability engagement.”
Licensing Sergeant Richard Compton shares his view on the WAVE training and 'Ask for Angela' scheme.
Credit: Metropolitan Police.
Credit: Metropolitan Police.
Credit: Metropolitan Police.
Credit: Metropolitan Police.
Credit: Metropolitan Police.
Credit: Metropolitan Police.
The training also promotes partnerships and engagement with communities, including Kingston Council who undertook a year-long programme of work, to address the safety of women and girls in the borough.
Kingston Council’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Reduction Policy Officer Kavitha Ramakrishnan who delivered training across the borough and at Pryzm said: “It is a very positive movement for the night time economy, to do more about protecting people using their premises.
“A top priority for us is working in partnership to ensure Kingston remains one of the safest boroughs in London.”
The Safer Kingston Partnership Programme engaged with all members of the public in Kingston, including residents, business representatives, staff and members of community groups.
The council organised a public survey which ran for nine weeks in the summer of 2021, and included focus groups and one-to-one discussions run with women's support groups.
92% of respondents who answered identified as female.
Source: Kingston Council.
Source: Kingston Council.
Source: Kingston Council.
Source: Kingston Council.
Key findings from the survey showed that:
- Most respondents have felt unsafe at particular days and times in Kingston.
- Over half of respondents (67.1%) did not ask for help when in a dangerous situation.
- 72% of respondents said the biggest barrier to seeking support is the fear of not being believed.
- 58% of respondents said not knowing where to access support is a barrier to seeking support.
- 15.5% of respondents said that that they currently carry or have carried something in self defence.
The survey’s results have since sparked conversation and next steps to not only help protect those in South West London, but also within the UK.
A development of a Night Time Strategy in Kingston, reviews of lights and CCTVs, and further collaborative 'Walk & Talks' events are some of the projects in discussion.
In September 2021, Kingston’s first Women’s Hub was launched in collaboration with Kingsgate Church and the Voices of Hope and Refuge Charity.
The hub was designed as a safe space to support women who had experienced domestic violence, abuse and other disadvantages.
Safeguarding advice
Kavitha Ramakrishnan,
Domestic and Sexual Violence Reduction Policy Officer,
Kingston Council
- Call out friends and family when they see or hear misogynistic language or behaviour.
- Promote the Mayor of London’s #HaveaWord Campaign.
- Familiarise yourself on how to spot the signs of domestic and sexual violence and how to sensitively support a friend, neighbour or family member including knowing which services are available.
- Use social media platforms to promote domestic abuse and sexual violence support services.
- Consider becoming a White Ribbon Champion.
Trudy Hutchinson,
Police Inspector for South West BCU,
Metropolitan Police
- Report anonymously to the police via the free StreetSafe online tool about public places where you have felt or feel unsafe.
- Get involved with the ‘Walk & Talks’ events where females are invited to share their views and experiences with female officers as they walk through any areas they may feel vulnerable in. The aim of ‘Walk & Talks’ is to start a conversation between members of the public and officers so we can listen and respond to concerns.
Richard Compton,
Licensing Sergeant for South West BCU,
Metropolitan Police
- Contact your local licensing team for free WAVE training for your establishment. The team can also share advice around crime and disorder to help your visitors feel safe.
Other developments in consideration of the large young people demographic in the borough, will be the review of recommendations from a secondary school survey, around sexual harassment in schools and public spaces.
Inspector Hutchinson said: “We need to educate our young people on being safe and behaviours, how to look after each other and be responsible.
“As a mum, I obviously spend a lot of time at home making sure I'm educating my son and my daughter.
“It's [about] getting into our young people early, allowing those women and girls to have a voice and speak openly and freely.”
Regarding increased domestic crime reports, the survey highlighted that professionals identifying risks earlier on and making appropriate referrals were also a potential factor to the surge in numbers.
Last year, Kingston Council pledged to end all male violence against women by becoming White Ribbon Accredited.
White Ribbon UK is a charity whose mission is for all men to fulfil the White Ribbon Promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
Credit: Kingston Council.
Credit: Kingston Council.
Licensed premises who would like to be a part of ‘Ask for Angela’ and have their team be trained in WAVE should contact their local licensing officers.
Drink image credit: Metropolitan Police.
WAVE training image credit: Metropolitan Police.
Metropolitan Police sign image credit: Tadas Petrokas, Unsplash.
Kingston Women's Hub image credit: Kingston Council.
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