Funding for two projects aimed at improving safety for Calderdale women and girls

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority, working in partnership with local Community Safety Partnerships, West Yorkshire Police and local groups, has been awarded a total of £215,000 from the Home Office’s Safety of Women at Night Fund.

In Calderdale, there will be £6,000 to relaunch the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme, which trains licensed premises staff to support customers who approach them using this phrase.

The idea is that women who are concerned for their safety or feeling threatened can use the code phrase and workers will know they need help.

There will also be £12,000 towards a Halifax town centre mobile safety pod which can be moved to different areas across the town depending on need.

And Calderdale will benefit from West Yorkshire-wide projects, including introducing a bus safety reporting tool on the MCard mobile application, a night-time economy male behaviour change campaign and a series of intelligence-led police operations on bus routes.

The projects are expected to be put in place before the end of March 2022.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “This is absolutely marvellous news and a real coup for partnership working within West Yorkshire. It brings even more focus upon the issue of safety for women and girls, with some truly tangible results.”