Bar staff trained to help improve safety for women

The courses train staff to better identify customers who are vulnerable and make appropriate interventions

Bar staff, landlords and night club managers are being trained in how to improve safety for women on a night out.

The course teaches staff how to identify vulnerable customers and make appropriate interventions.

Provided by the Safer Business Network alongside Licensing SAVI, it is also part of Wiltshire Police's Safety At Night Charter, which aims to make nightlife safer.

Following a session at Raymond McEnhill Stadium in Salisbury on Wednesday, Shaun Cullen, from the Chapel Nightclub, said: "It's very important for everyone to know that there's someone to help when you're on a night out."

He added: "We're open Friday and Saturday night, a couple of thousand people go through the doors.

"Of those, there's probably five or six incidences where people need some help."

Measures being encouraged of bar staff can range from charging someone's phone to having the DJ shout out the name of a missing friend, he added.

Mr Cullen said that compared to bigger cities, he has not seen many serious incidents in Salisbury.

But he said it is important everyone gets the training, on top of a programme called Ask for Angela - which provides a way for people being harassed in pubs, clubs and bars to request help.

"We brought people from the floor supervisor and bar supervisors, door staff and the management team [to the training]," he said.

Wiltshire Police said nine more sessions will take place across the county

Liz Batten, from the Salisbury Soroptimists, a group set up to improve the lives of women and girls in Salisbury, said: "Salisbury is a fairly safe city but we wanted to help make it feel even safer.

"If you are on your own, it's good to know there's someone looking out for you and you don't have to panic.

"It's all about perception and how safe we feel."

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has funded the free Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training sessions for anyone who works in establishments which are open in the evening or late at night.

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said nine more sessions will take place across the county, and e-learning courses will also be available.

"It's the chief constable’s priority to create safer public spaces," they added.

"We are working hard to ensure our night-time economy is something our residents can enjoy without the fear of harassment, violence, anti-social behaviour, or being made to feel vulnerable."