Laura hosted a roundtable meeting with representatives from Thames Valley Police, West Berkshire Council, Great Western Railway (GWR) and the Newbury BID to discuss the safety of women and girls across Newbury and West Berkshire. This followed her recent women’s safety survey, which she launched earlier this year to gather local views on the experiences of women across the community and public confidence in the police following the case of Oliver Perry-Smith, the Newbury Police Officer sentenced last week for his predatory behaviour.
In response to Ms Farris’ survey, 85 per cent said that they have felt unsafe in the local area at some point, with areas of particular concern including the underpasses, canal tow path and around the station. Respondents also highlighted an interest in seeing more CCTV and street lighting in the town centre, along with a greater police presence at night.
During the roundtable meeting, a number of serious offences and the experiences of women in West Berkshire were discussed. There was an agreement to look again at public lighting in some of the areas highlighted in the survey and seek additional CCTV in certain town centre underpasses. There was also a commitment to review and test safety arrangements at popular night time venues. In addition, Ms. Farris called for follow-up action by the Thames Valley Police to improve public confidence including an information campaign to tell people how they can verify the status of a police officer attending their home or apprehending them, seek assurance he is acting in the course of his duties and raise complaints if they have a concern.
Commenting, on the meeting Laura said:
“Even though Newbury has a low crime-rate there have been some appalling cases of rape and sexual assault in recent years. Moreover, the imprisonment of a police officer who was abusing his office to form sexual relationships with vulnerable women has serious ramifications for public confidence, especially in the current climate.
"Women’s safety has been a priority for me since being elected, and since last year I have held a series of meetings with women of all ages culminating in my survey at the start of this year. It is the women who live here who are best placed to judge where and when they feel unsafe and how they think it should be addressed. I am pleased to have had a very constructive meeting with important stakeholders and the issues discussed will now inform the contributions I make to Parliamentary debates and locally.”