Dorset councillors call for focus on male offending in fight against violence towards women
There are calls for a change in how crimes against women and girls are tackled, with more focus on educating men and boys
A change in emphasis is needed in the way Dorset tackles violence against women and girls, councillors have said, arguing that too much responsibility is placed on women to avoid becoming victims of crime.
The issue was raised at Dorset Council’s people and health overview committee, where councillors called for greater attention to male offending behaviour and education.
“For the most part, it’s not women who are spiking drinks or raping,” said Colehill and Wimborne East councillor Jindy Atwal.
“We need to be dealing with educating men… We are putting too much time and emphasis on women and girls – we should have the emphasis on men.”
Dorset Council chair Stella Jones, a Dorchester councillor, also expressed concern over findings presented to the committee showing that 45% of women and girls were frightened to be out at night.
“I know it’s a national thing, but it’s getting worse,” she said. “It is worrying that women and girls don’t feel safe at night; they should have the same freedom as men.”
The meeting also saw criticism of the information available to councillors. Beryl Ezzard, who represents Wareham, questioned why county crime figures had not been provided to the committee.
“It’s all very well being something that officers see, but why can’t we see it?” she asked.
Cllr Jones said the council could do more across its services to consider safety when designing and managing public spaces.
She suggested planning policies should seek to avoid dark alleyways in new developments, bus shelters should be positioned in safe locations and car parks should have more than one access point.
“As a council we should be thinking about this,” she said.
Council officers told the committee that work was already under way to address offending behaviour and improve safety.
Measures include work with domestic abuse offenders, support for people experiencing drug and alcohol problems and systems designed to identify and tackle crime hotspots.
John Newcombe, the council’s service manager for community safety, said grants had supported community projects, particularly in Weymouth. These include the Pineapple Project and Safe-Spaces, alongside additional CCTV.
His team has also been using drink-testing kits in Weymouth following a recent series of reports of spiking.
Mr Newcombe welcomed the Government’s target of reducing violence against women and girls by 50%, saying it could support efforts locally.
“I want to assure members there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes,” he told councillors.