Bradford to host public meeting on women’s safety

Women and girls have been invited to an open event in Bradford to share their perspectives on safety within the city centre and local parks. Organisers stated that participants’ feedback would be utilised to inform research on service provision for vulnerable groups who interact with the police. Scheduled for Tuesday, the event will be led by researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of York. These researchers have collaborated with local partners, including the Women and Girls Lead for Bradford Council. Kamran Hussain, Bradford Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and community safety, stated: “I would urge women and girls to come along to the event and share their views.” He added: “Keeping all residents safe is an important priority for the council and it is important that future work reflects the reality experienced by local people. “Only by working together can we plan and work towards a safer district for everyone.”” The event is set to be held between 12:30 GMT and 15:00 GMT at The Broadway, according to organisers. This initiative follows further efforts by West Yorkshire Police to address the harassment of women in Bradford. In March, the force launched a campaign in which female police officers posed as runners as part of a crackdown on strangers catcalling women who were exercising in the city. Speaking at the time the campaign was launched, Supt Beth Pagnillo said women should be able to “run freely without being concerned”. However, she added that she had personally experienced “cars slowing down, men beeping their horns and comments being shouted out of the window” when out running. A new unit was also established by the force to help tackle violence against women and girls and improve outcomes for victims in sex cases. Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said West Yorkshire was “leading the way in tackling violence against women and girls”.