Don’t just stand there
AN eye-catching giant projection appeared in Princesshay, Exeter recently to mark the launch of a public information campaign in the city centre.
The campaign, run by the Safer Exeter Partnership, aims to tackle harassment of women and girls in Exeter by encouraging people to intervene in a safe and skilful way, if they witness inappropriate behaviour in public places.
To kickstart the sixweek multi-channel campaign, a guerilla-
style projection stunt was staged, with a campaign visual projected onto the old Topshop building in Princesshay.
Representatives from Safer Exeter, and delegates from Exeter's business community, attended the event to help raise awareness of the campaign.
In 2022 Safer Exeter ran a survey, which found that 86% of women feel unsafe in Exeter at night. The campaign focuses on the need for positive action from the community, spurring people to step up and do the right thing if they see
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women at risk in public spaces. It features a series of comments used to diffuse situations where women are being harassed. It aims to encourage people to access advice and resources to help them intervene safely. These resources include free bystander intervention training, where people are given the
opportunity to develop crucial skills to help stop harassment in public places.
“The purpose of this campaign is to make people think about what is acceptable and not acceptable behaviour,” said Dr Nathan Eisenstadt from Kindling Interventions who has helped devise the campaign. Turn to page 3.
Edition 3 February 2023
One of the striking ads from the new campaign
Keeping an eye out for us all!
A BIG chunk of the funding Exeter has secured for Safer Streets is being spent on state of the art closed circuit television cameras, which help keep the city centre safe for all.
So we thought it would be interesting to let you know a bit more about the equipment being used and why it is so effective. This round of funding from the Home Office will result in Exeter City Council installing an additional 39 high resolution cameras.
The locations for the new cameras around the city centre means there will be a significant increase in overall coverage of areas where women have indicated feeling vulnerable in the past.
Two types of camera are being installed, both offering excellent functionality and performance.
Best evidence
They have been chosen for their analytical capability when “achieving best evidence” for police and court requirements which means that should something happen which results in someone being charged and taken to court, the camera evidence is clear enough to help gain a conviction.
The Hanwha Techwin PNM-7322-VQP, which are locally known as BOB, offers 2mp @ 60 frames per second ensuring that when an offence has been committed operators are quickly and easily able to capture an identifiable image of the offender. This is then passed on to the police.
The cameras also allow operators to help in the search for people that are vulnerable or missing far quicker than ever before.
Additionally a new 360 Vision Invictus camera has been added. This is a camera which allows controllers to rotate fully, offering 100% coverage of large areas of the city centre. This camera was chosen for its ability to light an area from above, and can offer instant reassurance to people when vulnerable or letting those up to no-good know that they are being monitored - even in poorly lit areas. These new, and many other replacement, installations mean Exeter’s CCTV camera portfolio will increase to over 200 individual camera’s by summer 2023.
So let’s spread the word that Exeter’s night time economy is not only thriving but can be enjoyed by everyone safely, without fear.
February 2023 2
Two new cameras for Exeter - the Hanwha Techwin (above) and Vision Invictus (below)
Volunteers needed
EXETER’S safe haven for anyone enjoying a night out in the heart of the city is recruiting volunteers to help improve the safety of women and girls.
A recruitment event for anyone interested in joining the volunteer programme was held at the Safe Space, St Stephen’s Church, on the City’s High Street, on 21 February.
The Safe Space has three main purposes - providing light medical treatment (cuts, sprains, recovery, blisters), welfare support (such as phone charging, water, safety alarms, bottle tops, change of clothes) and a safe warm place to wait for night buses.
It is open three nights a week Wednesday (term time), Friday and
Saturday – from 23:00 to 03:30am.
“If you are interested in volunteering at the Safe Space, want to learn more about what a volunteer would be doing during a shift and are keen to learn more about the training programme we want to hear from you,” said Ann Hunter, from InExeter, who manages the Safe Space.
“The volunteering programme will offer many opportunities to learn new skills and meet people. And it will help us to make Exeter an even safer place for everybody.”
If you are interested in volunteering to support the Safe Space but missed the open evening you can register your interest by emailing info@exetersafespace.com or calling 01392 424975.
From page 1.
“Our bystander training helps people to gain the confidence they need to safely and skillfully intervene in harmful situations.
“Most of the time, the reluctance to intervene comes from inexperience or fear of the unknown, but silence is complicity.
“We must all do our bit to promote more equal, diverse and inclusive places to live and work.”
Safer city
To find out more about the Safer Exeter campaign, how to spot harassment and what you can do to make Exeter a safer city, please visit: https://exeter.gov.uk/ clean-safe-city/ community-safety/ safer-exeter/exetersafer-streetsprojects/#4
Over 50 venues signed up to charter
MORE and more businesses in Exeter are signing up to Safer Exeter’s Safety of Women at Night (SWaN) Charter.
Over 50 venues from pubs and restaurants to taxi firms and sports clubs are now signed up to the charter - which helps them understand what women look for in a safe establishment.
As additional businesses agree to sign the charter every week Safer Exeter will soon begin to actively promote those venues which have
done so and the benefits customers should expect by using their services.
By signing up to the charter organisations commit to making Exeter a safer place for women at night and Safer Exeter can help them do that.
You can find out which organisations have signed up to the charter or, how your organisation can sign up, here: exeter.gov.uk/clean-safe-city/ community-safety/safety-of-women-at-nightcharter/committing-to-the-charter/
February 2023 3
Iain Millar from Exeter Street Pastors, one of the volunteer organisations already embedded into the Safe Space
Training helps give confidence to step in
Sparks will light up city projects
ALMOST £10,000 has been award to 11 projects aimed at making Exeter City Centre a more vibrant place for visitors and residents.
Groups and individuals were invited to bid for a share of Safer Exeter’s Community Sparks scheme - which is funded as part of the Government’s Safer Streets project.
The successful projects cover a range of subjects from helping prevent drink spiking, to repairing benches and improving planters, litter picking and even a consultation into how best to use one of the city’s most central green spaces.
There’s also a new notice board for another green public space and a grant to help provide music at planned night markets in city centre spots.
Free
Iona Collins, from St Sidwell’s Centre, applied to fund five discussion groups and workshops that will help them take a proactive and collaborative approach to improving use of the grounds at the centre.
Build relationships
“We think it is really important to build relationships between those people perceived as causing problems in the grounds, with other members of the community,” she said.
Dawn Dines, from Stamp Out Spiking, applied for a grant to fund a course that provides front-line workers with education on drink spiking which they can then pass on to others in their field.
pastors, bar staff, managers of licensed premises, licensed door staff and persons associated within the night-time economy. This will allow recipients to be recognised as a Drink Spiking Aware venue and enable the confidence of the public to enjoy a safe and happy environment in which to socialise.”
Paul Layton from Exeter St James Community Trust, said: “Our immediate need is to replace the community noticeboard in Queens Crescent Gardens which was removed after it was a target for graffiti, damaged and leaking. A more robust, watertight and vandal proof design is required.” We will highlight more Sparks projects in our next edition.
training for you and your team!
CAN you or your organisation help us make a difference for women and girls in Exeter?
Exe-Change the Norm is a free bystander intervention training to upskill you, your colleagues or your friends to prevent and respond to street harassment in our city. Anyone can be an ‘active bystander’ and when people feel empowered to intervene as bystanders, it creates a positive culture that deters harmful behaviour.
Exe-Change the Norm can train people in your organisation to intervene skilfully in potentially harmful situations which they may
encounter.
Those who undertake the training will learn how to spot potentially harmful situations and how to intervene.
Training is delivered to groups of up to 20 people.
The training is free and bookings can be made now between January 5 and March 31, 2023.
For businesses the training can be delivered at your own premises Find out more here by emailing bronwen@kindling-interventions.com
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A planter in North Street funded by the previous Safer Streets project
