A night safety charter to support women across south west London feel safer when out in the evening, was launched last night at the South West London Safer Streets conference, hosted by Kingston Council.

The Safer Street conference was attended by local authorities across south west London as well as officers from the Metropolitan Police and voluntary organisations working on women's safety.

The new charter builds on the joint work between Kingston, Richmond, Merton and Wandsworth councils and the Met Police South West London team which received £200,000 of government funding last year to deliver training to night time economy businesses on safeguarding within their spaces, breaking down barriers to seeking support by raising awareness of local and national services, and providing bystander training and education.

By signing up to the new charter, organisations that operate at night will commit to pledges which will continue to strengthen street safety for women, these include:

• Nominate a champion in your organisation who actively promotes women's night safety
• Demonstrate to staff and customers that your organisation takes women's safety at night seriously, for example through a communications campaign
• Remind customers and staff that London is safe, but tell them what to do if they experience harassment when working, going out or travelling
• Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders as part of your communications campaign
• Train staff to ensure that all women who report are believed
• Train staff to ensure that all reports are recorded and responded to
• Design your public spaces and work places to make them safer for women at night

Stephan Currie, General Manager at PRYZM nightclub in Kingston, said: "The South West London Night Charter is an excellent thing for both our customers and our business. Kingston is a very safe place, and we want to do all we can to reassure our female customers of that.

"We also want to demonstrate that we take the safety of women at night very seriously and that's exactly what this charter enables us to do. All businesses should be signing up for this. It's really important that a business trades on its reputation and looking after guests, developing that good reputation can only be rewarding."

The Safer Streets conference also saw the launch of a new campaign to engage men and boys and encourage them to take an active stand against the violence against women and girls in the Kingston borough.

The #StepUpSWLondon campaign aims to educate men and boys about what the violent behaviours actually are and how they can stand up to them in a safe and confident manner. The campaign will also encourage men to become active, continuous allies by signing up for the White Ribbon Promise.

Kingston Council's Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Cllr Sabeh Hamed, added: "Kingston is one of the safest boroughs in London, with a strong track record of community safety. We are committed to making our borough even safer and our approach is rooted in partnership work, prevention and early intervention.

"The safety of all women and girls has always been a high priority for us. We are committed to supporting businesses to improve women's experience of going out in the evening - by making sure they feel safe, and are safe. We are also committed to encouraging men to step up against unacceptable behaviours targeting women and girls, by fulfilling the White Ribbon Promise."

To support local businesses to deliver on their commitments under the pledge, Kingston Council has developed a Business Toolkit - a range of digital resources and access to training for night time economy venues. 

For further information on the Women's Night Safety Charter, including how you can sign up your local organisation today, visit the link here.