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Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has revealed she tested the Ask for Angela safety scheme at venues across the UK until she became too well-known to continue the undercover checks. The scheme, which lets people signal they need help by using a code word at participating venues, was launched in 2016 and named after Angela Crompton, who was killed by her husband. Phillips disclosed her secret visits after a BBC investigation found more than 50% of participating venues failed to implement the scheme properly. The investigation found widespread confusion among staff, with many completely unaware of what the codeword meant despite their venues displaying Ask for Angela posters.
At more than half of the 25 London venues tested, staff were completely unaware of what the emergency codeword meant despite their venues displaying Ask for Angela posters. Following the BBC investigation, Cambridgeshire, West Midlands and Hertfordshire police forces announced they had conducted spot checks. The BBC findings mirror similar failures in the scheme’s implementation reported by women’s safety groups across other parts of the UK. Staff at large chains including Greene King and JD Wetherspoon were among those who did not recognise the codeword.
Westminster City Council currently makes participation in the Ask for Angela scheme a key factor when deciding to grant alcohol licences. The safety scheme has since spread to other countries including Canada and the Netherlands. Phillips praised the BBC’s investigation, saying she felt “really grateful to the good work done by BBC London in highlighting that”. New safety schemes were “meaningless if you don’t implement things properly on the ground,” she said, adding that “none of these schemes are ever fit for purpose if they are not trained properly.”
She stressed the importance of maintaining ongoing training rather than “pink washing” venues by simply displaying posters. Greene King said it was concerned by the BBC’s findings and pledged to review how the scheme was communicated to its teams, while JD Wetherspoon said it would provide additional training if necessary. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money has been spent promoting the initiative by police and local councils
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