Published
Tue, Mar 16, 2021, 12:40
- The safety measure is one of several being considered in England and Wales.
The UK government may ask police officers to patrol clubs and bars in a bid to make women feel more safe, the Guardian reports.
The measure, if introduced, would see plainclothes officers in England and Wales stationed in and around venues in a bid to ward off potential predators. This may also involve a heightened police presence around closing times.
This is one of several safety initiatives currently being considered in the wake of Sarah Everard's kidnapping and murder in South London earlier this month. As part of the Safer Streets fund, which the government recently doubled to £45 million, CCTV and street lighting may also be ramped up.
"Sarah Everard was not on a night out, so the idea that putting plainclothes police officers in nightclubs is going to solve this problem doesn't recognise that women get abused, assaulted, intimidated in all sorts of places," Labour MP Stella Creasy told BBC Radio 4 earlier today.
This concern is shared by UK non-profit Good Night Out Campaign, which since 2014 has worked with venue owners, promoters and community organisers to tackle sexual violence.
"We are deeply concerned about this unworkable scattergun approach," the organisation posted via Instagram. "We've trained thousands of bar staff to understand and respond to sexual harassment and not a single one has ever said 'You know what would really help us feel safer? Undercover police in our workplace.'"
They add: "The nightlife economy and its workers have been hard hit in the pandemic. They need resources and support to deal with industry challenges including sexual harassment, not spies on the dance floor."
Last Saturday, during a vigil and protest for Everard on Clapham Common, multiple male police officers were filmed shoving and manhandling women. The gathering had previously been deemed unlawful by police due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read Good Night Out Campaign's post in full.