Watford stands united against VAWG at town centre awareness event

Hundreds of people attended a personal safety event organised by Watford’s Community Safety Partnership in the town centre on Friday (28 November).

The Safer After Dark event, part of the collaborative work to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), aimed to combine tangible tools and safety advice to help women and girls feel safer in Watford’s town centre at night.

Police officers and staff from Hertfordshire Constabulary were joined by members of Watford Borough Council and Watford Town Centre BID for the event, which ran between 5pm and 8pm inside the Harlequin Shopping Centre.

More than 350 safety packs including personal alarms, torches and anti-spiking kits were handed out to attendees, as well as practical advice on how to use the Ask for Angela and Ask for Clive safety schemes, and the free Hollie Guard personal safety app.

Sergeant Karl Diggins, from Watford’s Community Safety Unit, said: “We hope this important event reassures our female residents, workers and visitors, and helps them feel more secure when they are in town after dark.

“This event clearly shows the strength of our community partnerships and demonstrates our shared commitment to making Watford a safer place for women and girls. We were pleased to see so many people engaging with these safety resources.”

Kara Mesiano, Manager of Watford Town Centre BID, said: “Our organisation consistently communicates with Watford Town Centre’s evening and night-time economy businesses via monthly ‘Pub Watch’ meetings, business visits, and e-communications. 

“By doing this, we can ensure that our business community has a joined-up approach with Hertfordshire Constabulary, Watford Council and other key partners to establish a safe and supportive night-time environment where town centre users feel comfortable after dark.”

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Safer After Dark continues to show the power of partnership in making Watford safer for everyone. Our work doesn’t stop here, through our Community Safety Partnership and collaboration with local organisations and residents, we remain committed to creating a town where everyone feels safe and supported, day and night.”

Safer After Dark is part of wider collaborative and preventative work being undertaken by police and partners not only in the lead up to Christmas, but all year round.

The constabulary’s ongoing Operation Advisory campaign focuses on educating people on the issue of consent, and empowering people of all genders to call out unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour. Every December, the campaign is given a seasonal boost as the festive season gets underway with Christmas parties.

In addition, there are countywide Project Vigilant patrols planned in several town centres in Hertfordshire during the Christmas period. These specialist deployments will run across the county, using specialist behavioural-trained plain clothed officers to conduct covert patrols outside of bars, pubs and clubs, alerting high-visibility colleagues if males are exhibiting predatory behaviour. The aim of this scheme is to prevent sexual assaults from occurring and protect women and girls from becoming victims of crime.

The Chrysalis Centre works across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire to break the cycle of domestic abuse by providing a ground-breaking programme of interventions, achieved by challenging underlying abusive behaviours, providing education, counselling and support and enabling healthy, safe and positive relationships. The service is available to anyone who causes harm and is a resident of Beds and Herts, irrespective of sex, age, or risk level. The self-referral process is simple and easy to complete online.