2 days ago
Bowness welfare hub aims to keep girls safe on nights out
A welfare hub in a rural holiday hotspot will open throughout the summer in a bid to keep women and girls Police runs the facility at Bowness, in the Lake District, on Saturday evenings which have become busy nights for locals and visitors."It's not about frightening people, but we want to get that early message out to look out for each other, don't get separated from friends, be alert to the fact that spiking might happen," Sgt Becky Hunter welfare hub hands out purse bells to prevent theft, personal attack alarms, portable torches and anti-spiking kits which are used to prevent people putting substances into another person's drink without their knowledge.
Sgt Hunter said there were benefits to the "buoyant" night-time economy - which boomed in the area when staycations became more popular during the Covid-19 pandemic - but there was also potential for issues when people consumed alcohol."Dealing with violence against women and girls, that's one of our priorities for Bowness and across Westmorland and Furness," she said.
The hub also looks out for potential victims of domestic Hunter said: "This is a big tourist area, we attract couples and families from all around the country. "Some individuals will come along and under the influence of alcohol that can exacerbate problems they may be having at home and we see some of the fallout in Bowness."She added domestic violence could impact both men and women and the force was striving to look after any potential victims.
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