Walk and Talk Event
On Thursday 6th February there was a Walk and Talk event in Sevenoaks promoting the on-going safety campaign for women and girls.
The Soroptomists were invited to join PC Tom Costin, the Community Safety Unit and many community safety officers as well as the British Transport Police and members of the DAVSS charity. All involved were helping to raise awareness to stop violence against women and girls. I had a nice walk and talk with PC Clare in the town.
The bitterly cold weather was not dampening our spirits as we met many people who were happy to answer confidential surveys of how safe women and girls feel in their local area.
Most people did feel safe in Sevenoaks and other neighbouring areas. Many agreed they would feel safer with more lighting on the streets at night and regular patrols regarding anti-social behaviour on trains and railway stations.
Some men too wished to be included in the safety concerns and requested to have their thoughts noted on the the surveys.The men included on the surveys came up with some good ideas on safety for women and girls. A few couples I spoke to agreed on issues including better education in relationships and safety awareness. Street lighting and security was important. Another couple discussed the problem of violence on television.
They were concerned that too much viewing violence on social media and television as well as films was normalising behaviour that should not be acceptable.
People generally felt a lot safer in the town than they did on trains or further out areas. Many safety booklets were provided. There was a very good turnout of Transport Police. There was a long stall at Sevenoaks station packed full of useful information and freebies all promoting safety.
There were Hate Crime – Report it! Pens, special coloured tops for drinks to prevent spiking that I’ve never seen before and free personal alarms.
British Transport Police work all over London and Sevenoaks working hard to keep people safe.There are on-going developments with messages across the screens as well as the tannoy system to keep people safe and a discreet texting service to report anti-social behaviour.
The DAVSS charity with their on-going amazing hard work are also raising much awareness and help for those who may not know where to turn.
It was a successful, informative and enjoyable experience meeting so many people working hard to make a positive change in our community.
Tracey Kemp
SI Sevenoaks club member