Middlesbrough drives home safety for women and girls

Safehaven campaigns and local partnerships are improving security and support for women in Teesside.

Transcript

00:00In Teesside, only around 7% of people say wolf whistling should be a criminal offence.

00:0635% support charging people who keep talking after being told to stop,

00:11and 59% back prosecuting those who deliberately block someone's path.

00:16Cleveland Police have increased patrols along Riverside routes in Stockton and Middlesbrough,

00:21where harassment has been reported.

00:24Councils have improved street lighting near parks and cycle paths,

00:27and encourage women to use community reporting apps to flag unsafe areas.

00:32Pilot schemes elsewhere, with undercover officers jogging through hotspots,

00:37showed how quickly harassment can happen.

00:39Local safety groups say schools and colleges have a role to play in educating young people,

00:45while some politicians argue for new laws to give police stronger powers.

00:49Others believe current public order laws, if used consistently, are enough.

00:53The debate continues over how best to make streets across Teesside safer for women and girls.