Businesses join initiative to protect women

The initiative is being rolled out in Bournemouth town centre

Dozens of businesses in Bournemouth town centre have joined an initiative to better protect women and girls.

The BCP Unity Promise aims to place responsibility on businesses, organisations, and communities to help create a united front.

Participating businesses receive a "toolkit" to help create safer environments through better training and support.

There are already plans to roll the scheme out to Christchurch and Poole.

The toolkit offers practical steps for businesses and organisations to make seven commitments.

They include appointing a named champion, creating positive communications to promote safety, developing routes for reporting unacceptable behaviour, adapting spaces to promote a safer environment, and providing staff training on how to respond, as well as recording and sharing information.

More than 25 businesses have already signed up, according to BCP Council.

BCP's regulatory services councillor Kieron Wilson said: "Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, we are trying to build a more supportive community through the Unity Promise.

"This initiative is to help local businesses put in place preventative measures to enhance safety."

Dorset police and crime commissioner David Sidwick described it as "a proactive and positive initiative to ensure women and girls can feel more confident about being safe while out and about".

He said: "The responsibility is on all of us to do more to create the societal changes needed to protect women and girls from violence and fear of violence, and the Unity Promise represents an important step towards that."

The scheme is being funded by the government’s Safer Streets Fund and run by a partnership involving BCP Council’s community safety team, Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District, Dorset Police, The Shores victim support charity and the Bournemouth Town Watch.