West Yorkshire Mayor launches unit to tackle violence against women and girls

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said the region was "leading the way in tackling violence against women and girls"

A new unit has been set up in West Yorkshire to help tackle violence against women and girls and improve outcomes for victims in sex cases.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin announced the launch of the Women's Safety Unit on Friday.

It will consist of representatives from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the county's Violence Reduction Partnership and West Yorkshire Police.

Ms Brabin said the unit's "experts" were "committed to long-term change".

The unit's work would involve supporting Ms Brabin and her deputy Alison Lowe in holding West Yorkshire Police to account, including a focus on investigations and risk assessments.

It would also seek to "improve responses" for victims and survivors and continue the mayor's safety of women and girls strategy, which Ms Brabin said was one of her priorities.

Ms Brabin said West Yorkshire was "leading the way in tackling violence against women and girls".

'Fighting your corner'

She added: "I'm delighted to announce the establishment of our Women's Safety Unit, a ground-breaking collaboration of experts committed to long-term change."I want every woman and girl in our region to know that we're here for you, we're fighting your corner, and we will not stop until each and every one of you feel safe."

The unit's formation comes as it was revealed park staff and volunteers in West Yorkshire would be among the first in the country to be trained in helping to tackle street harassment of women.

That followed news that female police officers were posing as runners as part of a crackdown on strangers catcalling women out exercising in Bradford.

West Yorkshire Police's violence against women and girls lead Det Supt Vanessa Rolfe said: "It cannot be underestimated how important working in partnership can be in supporting victims and providing an overall better service to our communities."West Yorkshire Police is committed to achieving an environment where women and girls are safe, and perpetrators are rightly brought to justice."

The unit will initially be a 12-month pilot programme.