You can now tell police about areas in Congleton that are unsafe - even if a crime has not been committed.

Cheshire's recently re-elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire John Dwyer has welcomed the launch of a new pilot tool, 'StreetSafe', which will allow people to flag places in their communities where they've felt unsafe.

The tool has been launched by the Government and has support from the National Police Chief's Council. It is currently being run on the national policing website.

Although the service is primarily targeted at tackling violence against Congleton women and girls, anyone can add a pin to an area they feel or have felt unsafe in.

If you suspect a crime is about to be committed, or you are often accosted, or feeling at risk - this scheme should add peace of mind.

This could be due to anything from a lack of street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism, to a place where someone has been followed, verbally abused or assaulted.

John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said:

"This three-month pilot will help us gauge how residents in our communities feel about certain areas of their towns and places they visit for work or social reasons.

"Tackling violence against women and girls is a key priority of mine, and the data gathered during this pilot could help the police, local councils and others work together to ensure people feel safer when they're out and about.

"The service is anonymous. The only information that is revealed is the place the person identifies they feel unsafe in."

Violence and sexual offences tops crime figures for Congleton East and West, according to recent figures. There were 52 of them in both wards in July 2021, more than any other crime.

Six months on from Sarah Everard's death shocking the nation, this is said to be a step to attempt to make Congleton girls and women feel safer.

Victoria Atkins, Minister for Safeguarding, said:

"No one should fear walking the streets, but for too many women and girls, the threat of intimidation and harassment whilst going about their everyday lives is all too familiar.

"Our call for evidence revealed the need for a space where people can share their experiences of feeling unsafe in public places – regardless of whether a crime has been committed.

"StreetSafe allows the public to flag concerns directly to police, ensuring that those responsible for making our streets safer use the data to improve safety and understand how local areas can better respond."

The StreetSafe tool is not designed as an alternative for people to report serious crime, so if you have experienced a crime then you should continue to call 999 in an emergency and 101 in a non-emergency.

"This initiative is well intentioned but seems to be giving women and girls who fear male violence the responsibility for making the streets safer.

Congleton Nub News has contacted Cheshire East Women's Equality Party for comment. They said:

"I hope we will also see initiatives to bring perpetrators of violence to justice more quickly and reliably. We should also aim to prevent men attacking women and girls by challenging sexism and harmful male attitudes.

"Congleton is a White Ribbon town, which means we do just that, and I John Dwyer is also himself a White Ribbon Ambassador so I hope the Police are embracing this too."

Non-emergency crimes can also be recorded on the Cheshire Police website.

You can find more information about the StreetSafe pilot on the police.uk website here.

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