The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Residents are being urged to tell Lincolnshire Police public places they don’t feel safe.
StreetSafe is being launched as a pilot in Lincolnshire with a view to it being rolled out across the UK in a bid by the government to tackle violence against women and girls.
Residents can anonymously contact the police to tell them where they don’t feel safe and the reasons behind it.
Lincolnshire Police says that the focus of the initiative is to identify particular areas and factors that lead to people feeling unsafe and might help offenders either commit or conceal a crime – such as street lighting, abandoned buildings or poorly designed spaces, vandalism, as well as behaviours of individuals or groups of people.
The force is keen to stress it’s not a place to report crime or incidents.
A spokesman for the force said: “StreetSafe is anonymous. There will be no questions about your identity, such as name or date of birth. However, there are optional questions about crime reporting as well as age, sex, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, illnesses or disabilities.
“This information helps us to have a better understanding of the concerns you raise.”
Detective Superintendent Suzanne Davies, Lincolnshire Police’s lead for violence against women and girls, said: “The Streetsafe tool has the potential to improve our knowledge and understanding of what makes you feel unsafe in our county, and where the issues are.
“It’s a way to voice your concerns about things that perhaps don’t warrant a call to 101, but are still very important.
“The data gathered will be mapped alongside reported incidents.
“We will work with our partners to design out problems and focus on prevention and reassurance.
“My commitment to you is that I will let you know what we have done with the information you have given us; together we can make a difference.
“If there is a location you don’t feel safe, for whatever reason, please use this tool to tell us.
“This initiative is only as good as the information provided so we are encouraging everyone to use it.
“It’s anonymous, quick and simple to use, and will help us direct our efforts in the right places.”To report an area as part of the StreetSafe pilot, visit www.lincs.police.uk/notices/street-safe/
