Police Commissioner calls for Cambridge venues to support ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign

A campaign to keep people safe while dating is being launched today, 6th February, across Cambridgeshire to coincide with National Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

A campaign to keep people safe while dating is being launched today, 6^th February, across Cambridgeshire to coincide with National Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

The simple code-word campaign, Ask for Angela, encourages people who are concerned about their safety to discreetly ask for help by going to the bar. The message then alerts bar staff to the situation so they can phone for a taxi or offer a safe space to contact a family member or friend.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary is looking for venues in Cambridge that are willing to be officially listed as a place of safety for anyone feeling vulnerable during the evening. This information will be shared with students and other groups coming into the city by Cambridge Community Safety Partnership. If you would like your venue to be listed as an official ‘Ask for Angela’ venue in Cambridge, please contact Adam Ratcliffe, CAMBAC Manager at adam@cambac.co.uk.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite said:

“Anyone going on a date needs to be safe in the knowledge that if things are not going well, and they feel threatened in any way, there is help at hand. I would encourage everyone to spread the word about ‘Ask for Angela’ to family and friends who may be going out on dates.”

Posters will be on display in pubs across Cambridgeshire thanks to support from PubWatch, and CamBAC (Cambridge Business Against Crime) and includes phone numbers for Cambridge Rape Crisis and Peterborough Rape Crisis for anyone who has experienced sexual violence or assault or needs to talk.

‘Ask for Angela’ was originally developed by Lincolnshire County Council and is currently being rolled out across the country.

The Campaign is supported by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership with local support from the Community Safety Partnerships.