Harrow Art Park in Greenhill Way is a thriving creative hub. It's home to artists, makers, and small businesses – and now a Safe Haven, too. Crowning Greatness is the latest community project to join the network of trusted spaces offering temporary refuge to people who feel unsafe or threatened.

Step inside to regroup, make a call, or be signposted to local services - each venue is committed to helping women and girls feel safe and supported across our borough. Look for the Safe Haven sticker and step inside. Find all Safe Haven locations and further information.

The London Borough of Harrow is continuing its ongoing commitment to tackling violence against women and girls by supporting White Ribbon Day. It takes place on Tuesday 25 November and marks the start of the UN’s16 Days of Activism (25 Nov–10 Dec), a global campaign to end violence against women and girls. The council alongside its partners will be raising awareness and to help create change.

We all have a responsibility to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. That’s why we’re asking everyone to use their voice, both online and offline to challenge abuse and promote respect.

What’s Happening in Harrow

• Day of Action: Walk for Women – Wednesday 10 December, 2pm
  Join our community walk from Art Park to show support for survivors and hear from local organisations.
• #StepInNotAside Campaign: Learn how to safely challenge harmful behaviour, including online harassment.
• Training sessions for professionals, community groups and the voluntary sector to help end gender-based violence and promote available support services.

Cllr Pritesh Patel, Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety said:

"Every woman and girl in Harrow should feel safe and be safe in our borough. I’m proud to support White Ribbon Day, raising awareness of violence against women and girls. This campaign calls on everyone—especially men and boys—to take action, promote respect, and help create safer spaces.

“In Harrow, we’re expanding Safe Havens - now with 22 locations across the borough offering a safe place for women feeling threatened. We're also using your feedback to tackle areas where you feel unsafe. We'll continue to look at ways to help make Harrow a safe place to live and work.”

The UN’s global theme is around ending digital violence, highlighting the growing issue of online harassment, abuse and control through technology. Almost 60% of women worldwide have experienced some form of digital abuse, including harassment, threats, and image-based abuse.

How You Can Get Involved

Everyone can play a part in speaking up for change and supporting women and girls. Here’s how you can get involved when online:

• Think before you share. Don’t forward or engage with harmful content or comments.
• Report and block abuse. Stand up for victims — don’t stay silent.
• Be a digital ally. Challenge misogyny, harassment, and bullying when you see it.
• Listen and learn. Hear women’s experiences and believe them.
• Know where to get help. Visit our website for information on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) support services in Harrow.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse please contact Cranstoun’s Domestic Abuse Service on 020 8129 5438 or visit their website for free and confidential support.

When it comes to your safety, we're listening to you and taking steps to make Harrow safe.

After over 3500 visits to the webpage between October 2023 and March 2025, more than 170 of you have told us about areas that need attention in our Survey. We've taken a number of actions including upgrading street lighting, installing more CCTV, increasing patrols, and expanding our network of Safe Havens.

This work forms part of our wider VAWG (violence against women and girls) reduction initiatives - for example: Voicebox prevention work in schools, Domestic Abuse provision, 16 Days of Activism, and more.

Comparing the 3-month period from July to September 2023 (just before the survey launched), to the 3 month period of January to March 2025, public VAWG offences reported to the police fell by 21.5%, reflecting the positive impact of our efforts to improve safety for women and girls.

We’ll keep monitoring feedback from the Survey and encourage residents to continue to share their views. Insights will help shape our updated VAWG and Domestic Abuse Strategy coming next year.

You can read the full report by downloading the 'You Said, We Did' document from the right hand side of the page, or by clicking here: https://talk.harrow.gov.uk/26729/widgets/98587/documents/95239

We’re making Harrow safer and cleaner. During our latest Day of Action in Wealdstone, teams tackled key issues supporting those with drug and alcohol problems, checking housing standards, addressing fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour, cracking down on illegal parking and Blue Badge misuse, and engaging residents on violence against women and girls while promoting our Safe Havens.

We also completed checks on new locations pinpointed on the Safer Spaces Survey in Wealdstone, to follow up on your feedback.

These days of action are all about listening to our community and responding to what matters most. Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat, share concerns, or lend support.

Antisocial behaviour, licensing checks, rubbish clearance, environmental enforcement and illegal parking were were just some of the things tackled at our latest day of action. Held in the Town Centre, our Community Safety Team were joined by Harrow Town Centre Business Improvement District, TfL and Harrow Litter Pickers - alongside many council services.

The day of action included focused efforts around women and girls’ safety, such as:

• Completing checks on locations pinpointed on the Safer Spaces Survey, to follow up on residents feedback
• Alongside Conversation Cafe, spoke with members of the public and residents to provide safety advice
• VAWG patrols

It's one of our flagship actions to help restore pride in Harrow and ensure a cleaner and safer borough for residents.

Safe Havens are helping keep Harrow safe. Originally launched to support women and girls, we’ve expanded from 14 to 21 venues across Harrow.

These spaces help anyone feeling scared, harassed or threatened. Whether someone needs to call a taxi, charge their phone, or simply take a moment to feel safe, these spaces are here to help.

They are free, confidential spaces and staffed by trained individuals. Our Safe Havens include voluntary groups, community library, and community hubs ready to offer temporary support.

Cllr Pritesh Patel, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner Streets & Public Safety, said:

“Every new Safe Haven space is a commitment to making Harrow a safer, and more supportive place for everyone who lives, works and visits our borough.

“By the end of the year, we aim to have 25 safe havens in Harrow – it’s just one of the ways we’re putting our residents’ and their safety first. If you ever find yourself feeling scared or threatened, these safe places will open their doors to you and offer support.”

The initiative, launched in partnership with the Safer Business Network, was developed in response to feedback from our Safer Spaces Survey. It is part of a broader commitment to tackle harassment and improve public safety, especially for women and girls.

Read the full press release here: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/news/article/11435/more-support-for-women-and-girls-with-seven-new-safe-havens

Our latest Day of Action took place in Rayners Lane last week. There's been noticeable improvement to the area since our last visit, but there is still more to do - not just here, but across Harrow.

We were joined by partners from Transport for London, London Fire Brigade, Trading Standard and the police. Services including Environmental Enforcement, Conversation Cafe and social workers also joined us. These targeted visits are one of our 30 Flagship Actions to restore pride in the borough, and this Day of Action was the first of many planned for the year ahead.

The day of action included focused efforts around women and girls’ safety, such as:

• Completing checks on locations pinpointed on the Safer Spaces Survey, to follow up on residents feedback
• Spoke with members of the public and residents to provide safety advice and share information on the VAWG work taking place across Harrow
• VAWG patrols
• Shared information with local businesses on the Safe Havens scheme
• Spoke with professionals on VAWG projects and discussed opportunities for joint working
• 50 bags of rubbish cleared thanks to Harrow Litter Pickers

• Social workers carried out work along with Conversation Cafe to safeguard those in need of help

In this feature of our corporate plan and flagship actions, we focus on priorities around street cleansing and enforcement