Wandsworth London Borough Lined Up for Enhanced Security Upgrades
Gritty urban areas, like London's Wandsworth, can pose dangers for women, even in bustling cities. This neighborhood is taking strides to ensure safety through urban planning, training, and community involvement.
On March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard, a woman, leaves her friend's house in London at 9 pm local time, only to vanish without a trace. She is apprehended by police officer Wayne Couzens, who alleges she broke Covid-19 regulations, but his true intention was to kidnap, rape, and murder her.
The Sarah Everard case sparked outrage across the nation. Thousands of women protested, marching under the banner "Reclaim the Night," which means "Take back the night" in English. This cry for change started in the north of England in 1977, in response to crimes committed by the Yorkshire Ripper, serial killer Peter William Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980. In those days, the suggestion to be more vigilant at night or not walk alone on the streets seemed unimaginable. However, women demanded change.
Change is on the horizon for Wandsworth. It aims to transform its infrastructure to make it safer for women and minorities. Wandsworth also hosts Clapham Common, the park where Sarah Everard went missing in 2021.
Safer Nighttime Activities
Pablo Navarrete Hernandez, a professor of Landscape Design at the University of Sheffield, is researching such planning. "Fear of crime and actual crime have social consequences. The issue is that until now, it was thought that if we combat crime, we could also reduce fear of it - this is not always the case," he tells ntv.de.
The feeling of safety among people and real safety go hand in hand, but not always as previously thought. "We know that places perceived as dangerous become more dangerous over time," according to Navarrete Hernandez's research. Broken windows or graffiti, for instance, make people feel unsafe. As a result, they avoid these areas, which then become more attractive to criminal activities.
Wandsworth aims to counteract this. The neighborhood should be more lively between 6 pm and 6 am: There should be night markets, more evening events, and so-called Social Hubs and Safe Spaces - institutions that help people who feel insecure on their way home. "The nighttime experience is determined by who you are - how you look, your gender, sexual orientation, mental and physical health, ethnic background, past experiences, and whether you can afford to call a taxi home or to work," asserts council chair Kemi Akinola in the introduction to her new night plan.
"Filling the Fear Gaps"
Navarrete Hernandez also confirms this. "Women have more fear in public places than men - that's a fact," he explains. "Common measures to reduce fear also help men and women equally. So we need to focus on what works for women in urban planning to close the fear gaps."
In Wandsworth, there are already regular evening walks, where women can discuss their nightly experiences in the neighborhood with other women and hold torchlight processions to bring attention to domestic violence against women. And this, despite the fact that Wandsworth is statistically one of the safer neighborhoods in London. However, the number of attacks on women and girls in the area, as well as in the city and nationwide, has been increasing for years. For instance, in the year 2022, there were 70,633 rapes recorded by the police, the highest number ever recorded in the UK - most of which were against women and girls.
And exactly this development that Wandsworth aims to stop. Therefore, among other things, pubs and bars that are newly opening receive special training. In these trainings, staff learn how to identify and respond to sexual harassment in their establishments.
Furthermore, there are training opportunities for civilians. In 90-minute sessions, they are taught how to keep themselves and others safe if they witness a fight or a sexual assault. The most important topic is the nighttime illumination of the neighborhood. Many public bike racks are located in dark, secluded corners, and pedestrian paths lead through dark parks. More and brighter lighting or calming music should help here.
Plans that have also been approved by experts. Navarrete Hernandez states that small, open green spaces, more lighting, and no dark corners create a greater sense of security. However, he also mentions that there are still large gaps in research: "There are many ideas, but not all of them have been tested, and that's a big problem. For example, in Chile, many murals were commissioned, but it was never proven that it brought anything." Another issue is that there are still not enough research results regarding the fear of members of the LGBTQIA+ community - who are the most afraid of all groups.
According to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, all 32 neighborhoods in London are expected to follow Wandsworth's example in the near future. Even if the changes take time - the hope is that the city will also become a safe place at night and that women and minorities will regain the night.
Read also:
- The Sarah Everard case, involving a rape and murder in Great Britain, sparked international outcry and calls for improved safety measures in cities like London.
- To address the heightened fear among women in urban areas, Wandsworth, a city of the future, is implementing measures such as night markets, social hubs, and safe spaces, aiming to improve safety between 6 pm and 6 am.
- The Sarah Everard tragedy highlights the need for international action to combat rape and other forms of violence against women, including the training of pub and bar staff to identify and respond to sexual harassment.
