Innovative campaign promoting a safer environment for evening visitors launches in Camberley Town Centre
An innovative campaign enabling those who feel vulnerable in evening and night time economy businesses is being rolled out across Camberley town centre following successful trials by Lincolnshire County Council and the MET Police.
Available at participating venues throughout the town; including bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes etc., the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative aims to reduce sexual violence and vulnerability by providing customers with a non-descript phrase they can use to gain assistance from staff members in order to be separated from the company of someone with whom they feel unsafe due to that person’s actions, words or behaviour.
The initiative – originally launched by Lincolnshire County Council – has already proved successful and went viral across social media earlier in the year following a tweet from a customer who was impressed with the idea.
By asking for Angela, an individual is alerting staff that they require help. They will be taken aside, or to a safer location, so they can speak in confidence to that staff member about what assistance they need. Options available to staff include: offering to call a taxi for the individual; contacting their friends or family; or requesting that an individual causing the distress leaves the venue.
The scheme has been adopted by Collectively Camberley to help promote a safe environment for customers visiting Camberley in the evenings. BID Manager, Jodie MacAndrew says,
We are really pleased to be launching the Ask for Angela scheme in Camberley. With the increase in online dating, especially amongst younger visitors, we want to help create a feeling of safety in Camberley and offer a helping hand to those who may need it. The initiative was really well received in Lincolnshire and were grateful to their Safer Communities Partnership was allowing us to adopt their scheme in Camberley.
Led by Collectively Camberley BID and supported by Surrey Police, The Square, The Atrium and Surrey Heath Borough Council. The BID will be working closely with the towns bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels and cafes to raise awareness of the scheme and provide extra support for training.
The BID is also responsible for managing the town centre radio link scheme Camberley Together Against Crime. The radio scheme connects businesses to local security teams and CCTV operators as well as Surrey Heath Police and PCSOs. The scheme allows local businesses to communicate across the town to prevent local crime and disruption and have proved a great success over the years.
More information about the scheme is available on the BID website!
CONTACT: Jodie MacAndrew, BID Manager
jodie@collectivelycamberley.co.uk / 01276 25588