WEST YORKSHIRE police are encouraging people to use a new app to help them identify specific areas where people don't feel safe, in order to make improvements such as installing CCTV.
The app, called Street Safe is available for anyone to anonymously tell the police about public places where they have felt unsafe because of environmental issues, eg. street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, eg being followed or verbally abused.
Det Supt Lee Berry, of West Yorkshire Police’s Central Safeguarding Governance Unit and the Force’s lead on Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “We are proactively using the Home Office StreetSafe Tool to better understand where and why women and girls don’t feel safe in order to allow a multi-agency problem solving approach to address these issues.
“The tool is not intended to record crime, but allows the user to identify specific areas and concerns.
“We are collecting the data and, as the information increases, we will build a clearer picture of what is happening and put plans in place to address them. With this in mind I would encourage anybody who has such concerns to use the StreetSafe tool.”
The app has been launched by the Home Office and is currently working as a pilot scheme.
Visit streetsafetool.com for more info.
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