THE Merseyside Police Commissioner has launched a survey to find out how we can make our streets safer and end violence against women and girls.

Announced by Emily Spurrell, the survey aims to gain a greater understanding of the safety concerns of women across Merseyside.

It will ask women how safe they feel in public spaces, if they have experienced any sexual harassment or abuse, and what can be done to make them feel safer.

Responses to the survey will inform future activities and projects that the Police Commissioner runs, including bids for Home Office funds such as Safer Streets 3 – an initiative focused on improving women’s safety in the night-time economy.

Ms Spurrell stated: “All women and girls should feel safe in their own neighbourhood, in their local park, on public transport and while enjoying our region's nightlife.”

“Tackling violence against women and girls is one of my priorities and one of the first steps in the process of eradicating it is to listen to women and girls in our communities to better understand how and when they feel intimidated and frightened and what we can do to make public spaces safer for them.”

The survey is not intended to be a quick fix, but rather the start of a much wider conversation with communities, community safety groups and criminal justice partners to bring about long-lasting change.

Public consultation was decided after the tragic case of Sarah Everard in London, which Ms Spurrell said “highlighted the unacceptable level of intimidation, harassment and fear too many women still experience on our streets".

With a better understanding of women’s concerns, funding from central government is aimed to have a targeted and effective impact on improving the safety of our communities.

Ms Spurrell explains this may be practical fixes such as better CCTV, street lighting, or crime prevention activities, but also cultural and attitudinal changes through education practices.

Analysis of figures from Merseyside Police reveals the risks that women face.

Official statistics at police force level show that 17 women and girls were killed in the area between April 2016 and March 2019.

According to a report from the Femicide Census, a research and campaigning organisation, 42 of those killed in Merseyside in the decade to 2018 were females aged over 14. They were all killed by men.

And Merseyside Police figures show that more than 1,000 women and girls reported rape in just a year.

Home Office statistics show that women are disproportionately impacted by sex crimes and are more likely to be victims of stalking, harassment and domestic abuse than men.

Of the 1,200 rape cases recorded in Merseyside in the year to March 2020, 85% involved female victims, as did 81per cent of 1,258 sexual assaults dealt with by the force in that time.

There were also more than 25,000 crimes flagged as domestic abuse by officers in that period – the equivalent of 18 in every thousand people being violently or psychologically abused by someone they know.

Figures for the whole of England and Wales show that at least two-thirds of domestic abuse victims in that period were female.

Merseyside Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley said: “Merseyside Police is committed to working with our communities and partners to tackle violence against women and girls”.

DCC Critchley added that the survey by the Police Commissioner will “help us to better understand where and when women are most vulnerable and how we and our partners can reduce violence against women and girls”.

The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and is open until Friday, July 9 2021.

To take part visit: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SaferStreetsMerseyside/