Tackling violence against women and girls Stepping up Jade Neville, BPA President and head of user experience at Conduent Transportation, speaks to Katy Barrow-Grint, assistant chief constable at Thames Valley Police, about how we can build a safer community hange often begins with a conversation, and the Women in Parking discussion at Parkex 2022 on the safety of women in car parks was a light bulb moment for our sector. When women shared experiences of how we choose a parking space especially when we are alone or after dark based on how well lit it is, proximity to a safe route to our destination and avoiding parking close to vans because it makes us feel more vulnerable, men on the panel and in the audience were surprised shocked even. This initial conversation led to further discussions in our sector about how we can make changes and then broader communications with other sectors about how we can join all these things together as part of the wider government-led campaign to tackle violence against women and girls. As part of this, I have had the privilege of meeting inspirational people doing great work in this area, including Katy Barrow-Grint, assistant chief constable at Thames Valley Police, who is also the forces strategic lead for tackling violence against women and girls. Barrow-Grint says: Since the atrocious murder of Sarah Everard, there has been an umbrella movement nationally and locally in police forces around tackling violence against women and girls. That is not to say there wasnt a focus on issues such as sexual offences and domestic abuse before, but now there is an expectation from the National Police Chiefs Council that all forces need to work on three areas: building trust and confidence, perpetrator pursuit, and creating safer spaces. C Thames Valley force, as well as externally with the public, because, she says, you cant have one without the other. In parking, we can ensure our working environments are inclusive, with zero tolerance to misogyny and sexual harassment, and that we have policies in place to support employees who experience domestic abuse, which, as Barrow-Grint points out, is a legal requirement. Every organisation has a statutory responsibility to look after employees who are victims of domestic abuse. I would advise anyone reading this to check your own internal policies to ensure this support is there and you meet the required legal expectations. As well as the internal work, we can also look at making changes that impact on our customers and wider society. Its about being innovative and creative about what your organisation can do, says Barrow-Grint. We worked with Conduent Transportations team of civil enforcement officers in Oxford to become part of the Ask Trust and confidence Barrow-Grint has taken the trust and confidence pillar of the strategy and separated this into building trust and confidence internally within the Safer parking spaces The BPA is working with Police Crime Prevention Initiatives and the National Police Chiefs Council to look at ways that the parking sector can assist with evidence gathering. Crime data pertaining to tackling violence against women and girls is being analysed, which will be used to help inform how we can all support the campaign, including potentially identifying Safer Parking Scheme car parks that can act as safe spaces or hubs. For more information about the Safer Parking Scheme, see bit.ly/PNMay23SPS 44 PN June 2023 pp44-45 Jade.indd 44 23/05/2023 14:16