A bid for government cash has been made to expand a service aimed at making women and girls feel safer on public transport.
Launched in March, the Safer Streets programme is a scheme worth more than £250,000 designed to make the public transport system in Merseyside feel safer for women and girls across the region. More than 50% of women surveyed by the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) Office were identified as feeling unsafe using public transport in the region at night, with 42% uncomfortable during the day.
As a result, the PCC and Liverpool Council launched an effort targeted at potential perpetrators of harassment and sexual violence on the region’s transport network, known as Safer Streets Liverpool, funded by the Home Office. The service has expanded to include a text service enabling women and girls to report sexual violence on the bus network.
