Women, girls, and anyone who feels they are in danger will be able to seek safety in shops as part of a new scheme to help people in danger. Up to twenty-five businesses could take part in the Safe Space scheme which is being rolled out across Warsop. The scheme will see participating stores given CCTV cameras and staff training on how to support people who come through their doors looking for help. Safe Space signs will be on display as an added security blanket for people to enter these stores and seek refuge should they need to. Warsop is also set to benefit from new CCTV cameras, street lighting and environmental improvements to make people more confident when they are out in public. Refuge point cameras are going to be installed at key locations which will be monitored 24-hours a day and have already been successful in providing another way for people to feel safe in their community. They allow people in distress to press a button on the column which gives direct access to the CCTV control room and allows them to ask for help. The scheme is one of a series of safety measures coming to Warsop after the area was announced as benefitting from a share of £3m Safer Streets funding secured by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire.  

  Inspector Kylie Davies, District Commander for Mansfield, said: “The training and cameras inside businesses in Mansfield will be an asset in helping women and girls have that extra security and safety net if they ever need it. “They will also have that knowledge if they’re out and about those everyday shops will be a secure place for them to seek refuge. “These spaces, as the Police and Crime Commissioner, explains are not just for women and girls – anyone who feels they are in danger can use the scheme and know that businesses and officers will always be on hand to help. “Through our partnership working and the Safer Streets funding, we are continuing with our efforts to make the people of Mansfield feel safe and supported.” Money has also been set aside to give 190 women free access to the Hollie Guard personal safety mobile phone app. A simple shake or tap can activate the app when people are in danger, immediately notifying their chosen contacts, pinpointing their location and sending audio and video evidence directly to contacts in their Thankmobile phones. The funding is also being used to pay for new automatic number plate recognition cameras to help catch criminals using the town’s roads and funding youth work and diversionary activities to prevent anti-social behaviour. Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “The Safer Streets fund is all about complementing the work that the police, local authorities and other partner agencies already do to tackle neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour and violence against women and girls.  

  “The project in Warsop has a particular focus around violence against women and girls, which is something I feel passionately about and is a priority in our Make Notts Safe Plan. “The Safe Space scheme is predominantly aimed at women and girls as they are the people who are most impacted by feelings of safety in public – but anyone who needs help can use the scheme. “People should never be afraid to go out in our public spaces and with such a comprehensive package of safety measures, this should provide a noticeable difference to people’s feelings of safety in the town.” The plans for a Safe Space scheme and refuge point cameras follow a similar and successful idea that was pioneered in Sutton-in-Ashfield earlier this year through previous Safer Streets funding leading towns and cities across the country to start their own versions. Rachel Dunlop, of Warsop Computers in High Street, Warsop, said she would be interested in joining the Safe Space scheme and was happy to see the Safer Streets investment coming to the town. “It sounds like it’s definitely something that Warsop needs,” she said. “If you’ve got fellow shop workers keeping an eye out for people and working together then that’s got to be a good thing.” Councillor Marion Bradshaw, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, Housing and Wellbeing at Mansfield District Council, said: “The focus of this new funding will be to ensure that the community can feel safe and stay safe. We are working with the police and other partners, including local schools and charities that support survivors of domestic abuse. “We are also looking to deliver support to help people who work in local businesses to ‘be prepared not scared’ to enable them to feel empowered to take positive action if they witness an incident in public. “We are very lucky that there is great community spirit and local organisations in Warsop which we can tap into and build on to improve the quality of life for people there.”