News on Lambeth Safer Streets

In September 2023, we successfully completed the delivery of our Home Office Safer Streets Round Four programme. The programme involved working alongside Southwark Council to roll out a series of practical interventions aimed at increasing safety and feelings of safety for women and girls. Informed by crime data mapping, we focused on improving safety and partnership working along the borders between our two boroughs in relation to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in public spaces.

Over the past 12 months we have collaborated with partners in the police, business community and voluntary sector to deliver a variety of interventions:

Specialist Community Wardens

We recruited and trained a new team of dedicated VAWG and Antisocial Behaviour Wardens. The team undertake regular reassurance and high-visibility patrols across the borough, using data from our Commonplace Safer Streets Survey to target hotpot areas. Wardens are active within the night-time economy, engaging with licensed premises and attending key events throughout the calendar year to help keep women and girls safe. In the coming weeks the team will be undertaking joint ‘Operation Vigilant’ patrols – targeting predatory VAWG offenders – alongside local police.

Additional CCTV Capacity

A dedicated VAWG operative continues to staff our CCTV control room during peak hours, increasing our capacity to identify and disrupt VAWG offending. Additional re-deployable CCTV cameras have been installed across our target areas and we have the option to move these in line with emerging needs. The CCTV Control Room has also been upgraded, enabling the team to view and share data more efficiently. Safer Streets funding has helped us to strengthen our relationships with police and businesses to improve our response across a range of VAWG offences.

In partnership with local Business Improvement Districts we offered specialist VAWG training to over 90 security professionals working in hotspot areas. The training, designed and delivered by our partners Good Night Out Campaign, upskilled professionals to respond safely and appropriately to street-based harassment and Violence Against Women and Girls. Security staff reported an increase in knowledge, skills and confidence after attending the training with one participant sharing that ‘it takes all of us to work together to create a safer space for everyone’.

Safe Havens

Lambeth and Southwark Councils have recruited 40 Safe Havens at premises in known harassment hotspots where women and other vulnerable people can access safety and support when in need at night-time. Staff within the Safe Haven offer support to anyone who feels unsafe or has been harassed, including helping organise safe transport home or calling family, friends or the police. The premises display the Safe Haven Logo in their window and assistance will be available within.

We launched the Safe Havens scheme in September, attracting broadcast coverage from BBC London News and BBC Radio London. Our diverse Safe Havens network includes libraries, hotels, restaurants and offices, where staff have received training with crime reduction agency Safer Business Network. The scheme continues to recruit sites and is now being rolled out across London via the Women’s Night Safety Charter.

‘Look Out for Lambeth’ Campaign

Finally, in November 2022 we re-launched our ‘Look out for Lambeth’ anti-harassment campaign. Adverts targeting men and boys focused on changing behaviours and attitudes to women, making it clear who is responsible to address the issue. Adverts encouraged women to report on street harassment and other forms of violence against women and girls via our Commonplace survey and as a result we saw an additional 11,625 visitors to the site. Visit lambethsaferstreets.commonplace.

We are now using the learning from this campaign to develop a new anti-VAWG campaign made by and for young people to be launched in November 2023.

Whilst Home Office funding for this programme has come to an end, we continue to support various initiatives across the borough to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls. This Safer Streets work builds on the commitments set out in our third Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, which was published in 2021 and sets out how the council will work with partners on the issue until 2027. You can find out more about our strategy here.