BBC secret filming shows pubs not enforcing safety scheme

Pubs, bars and clubs that have signed up for a scheme designed to protect customers who are in fear for their safety are not implementing it, a BBC undercover investigation has found.

The Ask for Angela initiative, a project in place at thousands of venues nationwide, aims to provide a discreet lifeline for people who believe they are in danger.

Those with such fears are advised to use the code word "Angela", to indicate to staff they are in need of help.

But secret filming by BBC researchers found that in more than half of the London venues they visited, including major chains, staff failed to respond to the code word. The BBC received similar reports from across the UK.

It comes as more councils make participation in the scheme key to granting alcohol licences.

Our investigation found staff at large chains including Greene King, JD Wetherspoon and Simmons were among those who did not recognise the code word.

Greene King said it was concerned about the BBC's findings and pledged to review how the scheme was communicated to its teams. JD Wetherspoon said it had successfully dealt with many examples of distressed customers using the scheme but would provide additional training if necessary. There was no response from Simmons.

The Ask for Angela initiative, which is aimed mainly at women but can be used by anyone feeling unsafe at a participating establishment, has spread from the UK to countries around the world, including Canada and the Netherlands. The scheme is named after Angela Crompton, who was murdered by her husband.

The Ask for Angela scheme was launched in 2016 by Hayley Crawford, a substance misuse and sexual violence strategic co-ordinator

Staff receive special training to recognise the word Angela as a signal someone needs help.

Upon hearing the code word, employees are meant to discreetly intervene, helping the person get to safety by reuniting them with friends, calling a taxi, or contacting the police if necessary.

Venues often prominently advertise their participation, putting posters and stickers throughout their premises, particularly in women's toilets, and also advertise online.

Some people say they actively seek out these establishments when arranging dates or nights out, viewing the scheme as a safety net.

This woman, who the BBC is identifying only as "Kay", was physically intimidated minutes after meeting a man she connected with through a dating app

One woman, who the BBC is naming only as "Kay", explained how she had arranged to meet a man for the first time.

"It was fine at first," she told the BBC. "But then the night just kept getting worse and worse."

Within minutes of sitting down together, her date began touching her inappropriately. "He started playing with my hand, and I just froze," she recounted, visibly upset. "I pulled my hand back. I put it behind my neck. And he just kept saying, 'give me your hand, give me your hand'."

As she tried to leave, his behaviour worsened. "We got up and then he grabbed me by my waist. And he slid his hand all the way down. I was scared and also just a bit shocked at what's happening because I'm like, 'leave me alone'."

Kay did not know about the Ask for Angela scheme but thinks it could have helped, and says she now seeks out venues that operate it.

BBC undercover researchers tested 25 London venues that advertised they were part of the Ask for Angela scheme

Following tip-offs from women and bar staff, BBC researchers posed as a couple on a date to test venues that actively promoted their involvement.

At one establishment, our undercover female researcher approached the bar, as if in distress on a date, and asked: "Is there anyone called Angela working?"

"Who?" came the confused response.

"Angela."

"Er, no."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

This White Bear employee, who identified himself as the manager, was apparently unaware the venue was participating in the scheme

At another participating venue, which the BBC is naming, the White Bear in Hounslow in west London, a man who identified himself as the manager was unaware of the scheme.

He told our researcher: "Nobody called Angela here... 100%, I'm the manager – I know my staff." When pressed further, he added: "Not in the last four years that I've been here."

The White Bear did not answer our questions but told us that he was not working there any more and that any "insights" from the BBC's interaction with him were "outdated and misrepresentative".

These were not isolated incidents - 13 of the 25 venues we visited failed to respond appropriately to the Angela code word.

The manager at Hootananny in Brixton showed how the scheme should work by immediately leading our researcher to safety

One of the venues that did demonstrate how the scheme should operate was Hootananny in Brixton, south London. When a female researcher asked for Angela and said she felt uncomfortable, the response was immediate.

"Is everything alright?" the bartender asked without hesitation, before signalling to the manager. Within seconds, our researcher was led to a safe space and was asked: "Is there anything we can help with, or anything you want to talk to us about?"

Similarly, at the White Hart in Drury Lane, central London, staff activated their response protocol when our researcher asked for Angela. The manager, Kristoff, led her outside and even arranged a safe haven at a nearby pub.

"We're going to keep him inside," Kristoff told our researcher. "Go to this pub on the right-hand side... Ask for Neville. He's a friend of mine, he's the manager over there... Stay over there for half an hour and if you want to come back, come back - we're going to make sure he's gone."

The Ask for Angela scheme, which has received significant investment via public funds, falls short of its stated goals

Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of public money has been spent promoting and implementing Ask for Angela across England and Wales.

In London, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) as well as the Greater London Authority and the Met Police are investing thousands while outside the capital, many councils have made use of the Home Office's Safer Streets Fund.

Westminster City Council, which has the most licensed venues of any local council in the country, includes the operation of Ask for Angela as a consideration in granting licences to sell alcohol, as do Camden Council and Manchester City Council.

Dozens of other councils either require or strongly encourage venues to implement the scheme as part of their licensing conditions.

The BBC's investigation suggests the findings from London might be indicative of wider problems across the country.

Women's safety campaigners and bar staff in Oxford, parts of the West Midlands, Manchester, Coventry, Kent and Brighton all reported concerns to the BBC, while women's safety organisations in Cornwall, Sheffield and Devon said it had failed to be adopted by many venues there.

Safety campaigner Jamie Klingler warns women are being left vulnerable by venues advertising a scheme they do not implement

Reacting to the BBC investigation, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called the findings "shocking and unacceptable".

"This epidemic of violence against women and girls demands a whole society approach, and that includes those that run venues across our capital," Khan added.

Women's safety campaigners are calling for the scheme to become mandatory, with proper enforcement.

Jamie Klingler from Reclaim These Streets warns: "Women take a lot of risks to go out - a lot of the time for online dates or for meeting someone you don't know.

"If Ask for Angela is at a bar you're like, 'OK, they'll have my back.'

"To find out [the flaws in the Ask for Angela scheme], it's more than disappointing - it's putting women at risk."

'It's a real concern'

Sylvia Oates, director of Ask for Angela, said: "It's a real concern that premises have got the poster up and then if somebody asks for Angela, it's not successful."

She said high staff turnover in the hospitality industry could make consistent training challenging, but said venues had a responsibility to make sure staff were trained.

She is calling for stronger measures to ensure compliance, such as fines, and will be meeting MPs to discuss ways to strengthen the scheme.

Additional reporting by Laurence Cawley