Tackling violence against women and girls in West Berkshire

Please click below to hear an interview with Detective Chief Inspector Emily Evans from Newbury Police station and Alice Kunjappy-Clifton from the local Independent Advisory group. They talk about the current initiative to tackle violence against women and girls in West Berkshire:

Here are some updates from DCI Evans on what’s been achieved by the initiative so far, and some awareness events going in this summer:

Here are some highlights on progress so far:

·         Formation of the VAWG (Violence against women and girls) partnership working group. This was set up in September ’22 and consists of the police, West Berkshire Council Licensing team, the Violence reduction officer, Trading Standards, Street Pastors, Newbury Business Improvement District, Pubwatch, Newbury Town Council, Kennet Centre, Parkway shopping centre and Berkshire Youth.

·         Ask for Angela test purchasing operation / education. We’re looking to extend this to rural locations in West Berkshire. A recent test demonstrated good knowledge of the scheme for licensed premises in Newbury. Ask Angela stickers have been given to the Neighbourhood teams to share more widely.

·         Educational inputs / Discussion groups – Education and awareness in secondary schools by the local Neighbourhood Police Team as well as the street Pastors going to sixth forms with inputs around safety and vulnerability.

·         Child exploitation test purchasing at local hotels around the sale of alcohol to underage children and booking of rooms. Premises that fail received educational input.

·         Community engagement event around VAWG (Violence against women and girls). – In Newbury Town over the summer months and to include Victoria Park (in the summer holiday to target young people). Events are also taking place in other areas such as Thatcham, Hungerford and Pangbourne:

• Wednesday 26th July 1200-1430hrs (VAWG Community Engagement Newbury Town Centre)
• Friday 4th August 1000-1200hrs (VAWG Community Engagement Hungerford High Street)
• Thursday 10th August 1500-1800hrs (VAWG Community Engagement Town Centre Victoria Park – Skate park)
• Saturday 19th August 1000-1300hrs (VAWG Community Engagement Broadway Thatcham)
• Saturday 26th August 1000-1200hrs Pangbourne High Street  & 1300-1500hrs Theale High Street  VAWG Community Engagement

·         Community Street Safe Survey, to identify locations within West Berkshire where the community feel unsafe. With this data we will problem solve the locations with an aim to reduce and or totally remove the vulnerability, making West Berkshire a spacer space for all. They survey is live until 30^th July. You can access the survey via the West Berkshire council website. Equally google West Berkshire Council street safe survey. 356 people have completed the survey so far.

·         Safespace.org –  we’re reviewing and embedding the scheme in Newbury Town centre as a starting point. This scheme creates lots of little safe spaces which in turn creates a larger safe space which doesn’t require any staffing from the partnership https://www.safeplaces.org.uk/member-schemes/oxford/