Keeping Safe at Night

Recently there has been a lot of discussion on social media and news sites regarding people’s safety at night. With lockdown looming over us and nearing its end with every passing week the next question is how will the world change, and how will people keep safe at night. Currently because the lockdown has been in place the amount of crimes has fallen overall, but there have been incidents which have shook the public. Having been kept mainly inside for a majority of the past year, plenty of the population have taken a more active role on social media and report on issues and incidents which has created a more open space for discussion.

Social Media and Its Impact

Reporting issues within your neighbourhood and town has never been easier than now with the current state of social media. There are hundreds of groups based on communities within towns and the different areas within them where people have set up pages to essentially crime watch, give help or provide information regarding crimes that happen around them. This has definitely helped out police reporting also as police officers can join these groups and gain valuable information on fugitives and crimes happening within their given locale.

This has led to creating a system where respondents can react to crimes faster and spot them when they’re happening. However this does nothing for crime prevention, the incidents are not less likely to occur as a result of the reports opening up. Despite a group such as “Crimewatch Liverpool” having over 70k members, which is a significant portion of the population at 17% and the local police monitoring the page, the amount of crimes have increased. They get resolved much more quickly with frequent updates however, each town and city within Greater Manchester have their own pages dedicated to tracking crime.

Night Crime and Violence

The biggest problem and discussion that has been in the media as of late is the danger that people, specifically women have to face when they walk home at night. When it comes to violence against women whether abuse or assault have increased to almost 1 in 3 women experiencing it globally. This statistic is harrowing and based on what we keep hearing about in the news it isn’t changing. 

The particular case that spurred discussion in the media over the past month of March is the horrible story of what happened to Sarah Everard. One of the worst parts about it is that a police officer was the one who got charged with the crime, which coupled with the recent law giving the police more power to detain people during protests has reached a critical mass. One of the points of discussion was the police dispersing the vigil held for Sarah and detaining the women who gathered there.

How You Can Stay Safe at Night

In truth, you really shouldn’t be forced to do anything to stay safe at night, the fact this is even a point creates a bigger problem worthy of further discussion into our society. We can give you some easy to follow advice to hopefully reduce your risk of experiencing violence. The very first thing you should do is plan, let someone know where you’re going and with whom and when you should be back by, even if they’re estimates this will be a huge help and you’ll always have someone that is aware of your situation. 

Staying with other people whether it’s a friend or a family member is ideal, having one extra person there will always be a help. While you’re walking back make sure you’re sticking to well lit areas where possible, and especially so if they’re populated areas since there’ll be other people on the road who will be able to help. Make sure your money and possessions are securely placed and out of sight whether in your bag, handbag or pocket but have your phone on hand always as it’s the best method of communication.

Something that has been increasingly popular are personal panic alarms, which is simply a button you can press that either calls help or emits a loud noise which alerts others to your presence. Also when you feel that you’re unsafe make sure you’re aware of your surroundings so that you can escape or call for help if it’s needed. These tips are quite obvious but it can be helpful to be aware of all the options you have when you think about coming home at night.

Lockdown and You – What the New Changes Mean

With April quickly approaching you need to be aware of all the changes that will be happening to our lockdown. Starting out people will be allowed to meet in groups of 6 or 2 households outside in private gardens and simply outdoors. This will be great for getting people socialising and having fun again, however this also poses a risk. It might mean that there will be more people out on the streets, and if they have been drinking there could be more disorderly behaviour on roads compared to the last few months of lockdown.

Once again you will be able to perform exercise outside, whether it’s team sports with a few friends like an outdoor basketball court or football you can start to exercise and feel happy with the sun shining down on you. It will be best to keep this to the afternoons or early evenings at latest in order to get home nice and early. 

Travel is also opening back up allowing you to go to the beach or visit somewhere like the Lake District, you could have a very nice budget day out and drive back the same day or by taking public transport and getting a daily ticket. It is still under the rule of 2 households or 6 people so you will want to travel with friends only when you are following those, however life can start to open back up again and feel a lot more fulfilled.

If you are in need of any security services on our roadmap out of lockdown then look at our services pages and navigate yourself over to our homepage. We have the best manned guards available in the UK.