For fear of being eaten alive by Labour bloggers, they will be pleased that this post is not a 'separatist' rant!
News over the weekend and today reports how opposition parties have attacked Jacqui Smith for stating that she wouldn't walk alone on the streets of London- even the most affluent areas. The opposition parties say that she is 'out of touch with reality' in making such remarks.
While the Home Secretary may be out of touch on a raft of issues, I don't think that this is one of them. To admit to not walking alone at night is common practise. I wouldn't do it, and if pushed to do so, I would carry an alarm with me. So many women are attacked when they either carelessly believe that they will be safe in a relatively quiet area, or walk home alone after a night out, or flatly fail to see the dangers of walking alone. Many men are also attacked, and this perhaps doesn't get as much attention.
I am sure that there are many measures that the Government need to embrace to ensure that our streets are safe, but placing all this emphasis on the individual actions of the Home Secretary is unfair.
Perhaps the best place to start is to ensure that there is better lighting in our towns and suburbs. While I was at University I organised a Reclaim the Night March in Aberystwyth around those areas which were poorly lit, and raised this issue with the University and the Town Council to demand that lighting was increased. This has proven to make pedestrians feel safer at night. We still didn't advocate that women walked home alone, but ensured that they were with a friend or colleague. Another area to look at is ensuring that more Police Officers patrol the streets at night, and that they provide people with personal alarms. There are a raft of initiatives in this area, which Jacqui Smith will be in a rush to implement before she gets any more criticism....
2 comments:
Nobody sensible, of either gender, would walk alone at night in any area, unless it's very well - lit and there are other people around. Women are more at risk for obvious reasons - so are the elderly and vulnerable. Men are not immune either.
Yes, we have a right to safe streets, but also a duty to be sensible. Walking alone in the dark, wherever you are, is going to put yourself at higher risk. Deciding not to expose yourself to this risk seems a valid course of action.
Great post!
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