£650,000 to improve safety for women and girls in West Yorkshire

The new funding, achieved from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund will go on two ambitious and wide-reaching projects.

The bid was co-ordinated by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire.

The first, improving the safety and use of parks by women and girls, through multi-agency days of action to enhance the look and feel of the areas, training for frontline staff on conflict management and challenging inappropriate behaviour, as well as further research and confidence building initiatives.

The legacy of the project will be cemented through design guidance and learning being made available to inform the creation of new parks in West Yorkshire.

Dr Amir Khan on men's role in helping women feel safe

A second initiative is also receiving funding to develop a higher/further education package to support women's safety and generate behaviour change in men.

This includes active bystander training, a male role model and consent campaign, personal safety training, and additional support and awareness raising of victims’ services.

Ms Brabin said: “Improving the safety of women and girls is a fundamental pledge of mine and that of my Deputy for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe. I am absolutely thrilled that we have been able to secure this substantial funding.

“These two projects are going to set a blueprint for tackling some key areas of concern such as safety in public spaces, education and behavioural change in men, aspects that I have long called for more focus on.

“As the detail of these initiatives show, there is no simple solution, but I will continue to work locally and nationally, with the police, partners and communities to bring about the changes that are desperately needed for everyone to feel safe.

“I would like to thank West Yorkshire Police, the local authorities and women and girl groups for all their work on the bids in conjunction with my office, I look forward to working together to deliver them.”