How we've been making the borough safer

We know that our residents should be able to go about their lives with the assurance that our streets are safe and accessible. Keeping residents safe is one of our top priorities and in September we were working to show you how we are doing it.

Last month, we launched a new campaign empowering residents to intervene on behalf of women. The Don’t Pass Her By campaign, which premiered at St Mary’s Freshers Fayre, delivers on the Council’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) by removing the onus of avoiding harassment from women and instead encourage collective responsibility. It forms part of our wider work to provide tools and guidance to support anyone to intervene in a safe way.

As a White Ribbon accredited organisation, we are working to prevent violence against women and make the borough a safe place for everyone. To show our commitment to changing the culture that leads to abuse and our dedication to being more than passers-by, we have facilitated the VAWG Community Forum led by the new Chair; launched a new toolkit as part of Safer Streets to support businesses in designing safer public and work spaces; and are hosting a White Ribbon Walk in Whitton on Saturday. Residents are always welcome if you want to be an active bystander and give your support, so look out for when we’re next walking in your ward.

Our values state that keeping young people safe and supported and ensuring they can enjoy life is key to our vision for the borough. We know that there can be so many barriers that stop young people from sharing their concerns from reluctance to speaking with the police to the fear of repercussions. That’s why it’s been a pleasure to announce that we are working with Fearless, the dedicated youth service of Crimestoppers, to support young people in speaking up about crime without putting themselves at risk. This partnership provides a safe and anonymous way for the borough’s youth to contribute to reducing crime and whilst challenging the misperceptions around ‘snitching’.

Safety can also mean creating streets that are accessible by different modes of transport and providing you with the chance to experience some of our roads traffic-free was the perfect way to showcase this. We celebrated World Car Free Day by waiving administration costs for road closures which resulted in 31 Play Streets that allowed children to play safely outside with the friends and families. It’s not too late to find ways to safely enjoy travel around the borough – check out the many options available to you.

This September saw the launch of the new My Richmond App, giving residents a fast and easy way to access council services. Making life more convenient for our residents is essential, so making it simple for residents to report issues such as potholes or antisocial behaviour whilst out and about is instrumental in making our streets as safe and secure as possible. 

We know there’s more to be done to maintain our status as the safest borough in London. By developing the work we do with residents and local groups to build an understanding of the values and challenges of our community, we can continue creating a borough that addresses your safety needs.

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