VAWG
WALK WITH CONFIDENCE
As part of West Mercia Police’s objective to tackle violence against women and girls, the force recently implemented the Walk and Talk initiative originally created by the Met police. The successful scheme has proven to be valuable to members of the public, putting the confidence back into women walking confidently within the local areas
Sergeant Richard Jones from West Mercia Police, based in Telford, has 17 years of experience within policing and has recently found himself in local policing since November 2022 and this year decided to implement within his portfolio the ‘Walk and Talk’ initiative. The scheme is for women and girls to
walk a route with a female officer, where they normally would feel vulnerable, due to lack of lighting, overgrown areas, and isolated areas whilst walking. This allows the officers to understand the routes taken and to work with third party agencies to ensure the walks taken by individuals feel less daunting and offer confidence and safety, when accessing
40 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2023
these key pathways. Sergeant Jones explained: “I saw this sort of scheme being trialled by other forces, so felt it would be a very good scheme for us to try and implement within West Mercia. I’m really pleased with the way it has been received with us. About half a dozen walks have taken place so far which started roughly at the end of July.”
By walking the routes of those who feel intimidated and unsafe, this has provided West Mercia Police a true understanding of what key areas need to be addressed. “On our walks we look at lighting, access and even things like bushes or pathways just not being clear enough,” Sergeant
Jones added. “This could be either the walk to work for them or a walk to friend’s house or shops where it may not stand out to everybody, but to them, obviously it may make them feel insecure. “I know one of the women that got in
touch because her daughter had been assaulted in their local area and wanted to highlight the location. “It’s a route that is right next to a main road, you wouldn’t even know it’s there and with a bit of simple landscaping, you can cut it back, so there is more visibility. Prevention has to play a significant role. The scheme is designed for women and girls, but we’re hoping to make it a safer environment for all.”
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