Today, we’re supporting the White Ribbon campaign to raise awareness of and stop violence against women and girls.

We’ve been targeting Harrow’s hotspots to keep our streets and neighbourhoods clean and safe.

The latest day of action was held in Rayners Lane where more than a dozen complaints of antisocial behaviour were investigated and checks carried out on homeless and those vulnerable.

Joined by partner agencies, we have so far visited South Harrow, Edgware, Harrow on the Hill, Harrow Town Centre and Rayners Lane since April. Together we carried out enforcement activities and also welfare checks on some of our vulnerable residents.

Each day and night of action sees activities which include tackling violence against women and girls and supporting women’s safety. Officers completed a quality assurance visit of the local Safe Space in Healthways Pharmacy, and spoke with residents to provide guidance to women and girls on travelling alone, personal safety and how to report concerns. The responses and information collected from the Safer Spaces Survey was used to inform the day of action, and each pin within the Rayners Lane area was visited and followed up on.

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

“I’m passionate about keeping our borough clean and safe - it’s what our residents want and it’s what we are delivering as part of our Flagship Action.

“Since April, our multi-agency partnership has targeted anti-social behaviour in hotspot areas. We’re taking action against those undoing the great work being done to improve our neighbourhoods. Our latest was held here in Rayners Lane.

“We’ve had some great success and we’ll continue these days of action until we get it right for you. It’s all part of our vision to restore pride in Harrow. Thank you to our teams, partners, and volunteers for their role in this and to our residents who came out to talk to us and find out more.”

There are several more planned days and nights of action in the coming months.

Read the full press release here: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/news/article/11362/putting-residents-first-through-days-and-nights-of-action

Today we have launched 14 Safe Havens in Harrow, in our new initiative to support women’s safety.

Safe Havens offer temporary refuge to people who are at risk or vulnerable. It’s a sanctuary within the community for people to get help and support their onward journey. The scheme is primarily aimed at women and girls, although these locations are open to anyone who feels harassed, vulnerable, or threatened.

Staff across the 14 locations have undergone bespoke training with the Safer Business Network, a crime reduction agency, who we are working with as part of the Council’s work to improve feelings of safety and end violence against women and girls.

The locations (which include cafés, Harrow libraries, fire stations and more) will welcome individuals requesting help and offer a secure environment until they feel ready to move on.

Each location will display a sticker on their window confirming it is part of the scheme.

Read more about our launch here: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/news/article/11360/14-new-safe-havens-open-their-doors-to-help-protect-women

This week London Borough of Harrow commissioned a new domestic abuse support service.

Cranstoun, who offer specialist expertise in supporting people experiencing domestic abuse, will provide vital support for survivors of domestic abuse and their children.

It comes as the council invests £1.2 million into the service over the next 3 years. It will ensure people who suffer from domestic abuse can access help, support and refuge. The service, which launched on 1 May, includes:

You can read the full press release here: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/news/article/11314/-1-2m-investment-to-support-domestic-abuse-survivors-which-includes-new-support-provider

We have created new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) information pages on the Harrow Council website. This includes information on: what VAWG is, the different types of VAWG and domestic abuse, and the support services that Harrow residents can access, if needed.

We will continue to update these pages going forwards. Find out more here: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/vawg

At the end of January, a joint taskforce between London Borough of Harrow, the police, the voluntary sector, and trading standards collectively worked to increase confidence in public safety in the Wealdstone area. The responses and information collected from the Safer Spaces Survey was used to inform the night of action, and every pin within the Wealdstone area was visited and followed up on.

The team also visited the Boots on Wealdstone High Street, which acts as a Safe Space. If you’re experiencing domestic abuse or feeling unsafe you can use the discreet codeword scheme 'Ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately)' at your local Boots pharmacy to let staff know that you need help to contact family/friends, a helpline or specialist support service, or an emergency police response.

You can read the full press release here: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/news/article/11285/week-of-action-keeping-wealdstone-safe

Here you are able to see the action we are taking to ensure that our public spaces in Harrow are safe spaces for all women and girls. Please return to here to see further updates.