'Ask Angela' and other ways to make nightlife safe

Venues can print out a poster with instructions to display in the toilets

Amid a suspected nationwide rise in spiking offences, venues across Bristol have described the measures they use to help people feel safer on a night out.

The 'Ask for Angela' scheme allows people being harassed in pubs, clubs and bars to request help from staff by asking for Angela - a fictitious colleague.

"People are not going out as much as they used to," said Iwona Kessek, a director of the organisation.

"We are doing everything we can to address fears and make people feel safe."

Ask for Angela was launched in 2016 by Hayleigh Crawford, the substance misuse and sexual violence strategic coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council.

It was named after Angela Crompton, who was murdered by her husband in a domestic violence dispute.

Toni Naice believes the rise in blind dates has heightened the need for safety schemes

Trained staff should recognise the code word and respond in an "appropriate and discreet manner"- offering taxis or services to help remove people from a dangerous situation.

Toni Naice, 40, from Bristol, believes the scheme is more important now than ever.

"We met our partners before online dating, so if we went out with somebody we probably already knew them, or had mutual friends," she said.

"That’s not guaranteed to mean that person isn’t a complete weirdo, but you can gauge their vibe a bit more.

"These days, the trend has moved away from that, and I think that's what makes people more vulnerable."

Lewis Smythe says he believed the scheme was only in place to help women

It seems that some people believe - incorrectly - that asking for Angela was only set up to protect women.

“Truthfully I thought it was a gender-specific thing," said Lewis Smythe, who lives in Bristol.

“With men - I know it’s horrible to admit - but we don’t live in fear in the same way.

"I didn’t know it was available for men at all.”

According to those who launched the campaign, the code word Angela is meant to help everyone, regardless of gender or circumstance.

Despite this, Mr Smythe says he very rarely sees the posters displayed in male toilets, and believes the majority of men are unfamiliar with the concept.

“Abuse goes both ways, and someone can have a really bad night whatever gender you are," he said.

“It’s definitely something we should be raising more awareness of, especially with the rise in spiking."

Mr De-Ritter said staff at Kongs aim to make the venue a "comfortable place for everyone"

Callum De-Ritter, a bartender at Kongs in Bristol, said staff are trained for someone using the Angela scheme, but have rarely had to deploy it.

"I've been here for two-and-a-half years and I've never been in a situation where someone asked for Angela," he said.

"We did have situations where we picked up on it ourselves and came over with security."

However, the backs of the men's toilet doors exhibit only scrawled graffiti, without information for how men can escape potentially dangerous situations.

“I haven’t seen them [posters] in the men’s bathrooms, but we should have them," Mr De-Ritter continued.

"I can understand for any gender you can be in an uncomfortable situation so I perfectly agree, it should be in both."

'Aimed at perpetrators'

Many venues in Bristol have adopted the programme, but now some are going even further.

Iwan Best, director at music venue Exchange, said: "Everyone knows what Angela means and we wanted to introduce something more gender neutral.

"We also want to make sure the language is not victim blaming, instead we want to tell people not to be idiots."

He said the venue has created its own house rules, which are displayed behind the bar.

Staff are also trained to recognise people who might be in a dangerous or uncomfortable situation.

"We want to empower our staff to speak up and be able to go and help people in these situations," said Mr Best.

"Our wording and our training is aimed at perpetrators - not victims."