New online tool to tell police where you don’t feel safe

Local people are being encouraged to use a new online tool to anonymously tell Avon and Somerset Police and partners about public places where they feel or have felt unsafe. 

StreetSafe has been introduced as part of the Government’s response to tackling violence against women and girls.

But all local people are being encouraged to use the tool to help identify areas where there are fears caused by anti-social behaviour and environment issues -including lack of street lighting, abandoned buildings and vandalism. 

The online tool enables residents to anonymously pinpoint on a map the location where they felt unsafe but no crime needs to have been committed in order to use it. 

The information provided will be considered alongside the extensive evidence base already gathered by police forces. It will be used to inform the community safety activities of police and partner agencies such as local authorities. 

In Avon and Somerset, such activity has included installing CCTV and removing hedges to improve visibility in some areas.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Mark Shelford said: “I very much welcome this free online tool; a crime doesn’t always have to be committed for you to feel unsafe but this feeling of unsafety is still very much justified. The police and partners want to understand local people’s experiences to help inform their community safety activities.

“… I encourage local people to continue to use the tool so, together, we can make our communities safer.”

Superintendent Paul Underhill, Neighbourhood Policing, Avon and Somerset Police added: “StreetSafe is a fantastic tool, allowing people to quickly and easily report exactly where and why they feel unsafe in certain areas. 

“This information is used by our Neighbourhood Policing Teams to build up a picture of hotspot areas and specific issues. We’re then able to put an appropriate response in place whether that’s installing CCTV, increasing the number of patrols or working with partners to address practical isses like poor lighting or vandalism.

“We’d like to encourage more people to use the StreetSafe tool; the more information we have, the more we can do to make the streets safer for everyone.”

Visit the StreetSafe tool via: https://www.police.uk/pu/notices/streetsafe/street-safe/ 

It is important to remember that the StreetSafe tool should not be used to report crimes. To report a crime, visit: https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/report/