Around 80% of women feel unsafe in parks, particularly when it is getting dark, according to a survey by Newcastle University researchers. The study also found that 73% of women who had experienced harassment said it occurred in a North East park.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuiness has pledged £2 million to improve safety in public spaces. She called for more police patrols and street volunteer wardens, and is considering education programmes aimed at men and boys to “challenge the behaviour of individuals that make women feel unsafe”.
The research, led by Professor Rachel Pain, involved over 420 park users. One participant said: “All of my friends have been either flashed, followed, sexually assaulted or verbally or physically abused by men, usually in vulnerable places like parks or at night in cities.” Another added: “At a point of my life when I was about 17, it was a major harassment event – maybe once a week. This is part of being a woman in England, unfortunately.”
Professor Pain noted that high levels of fear among women are “really quite justified” given the rates of reported sexual violence and harassment. The study identified several parks as hotspots, including Saltwell Park in Gateshead (114 crimes, including 21 sexual offences and 13 rapes), Leazes Park in Newcastle (141 crimes, including 26 sexual offences and 14 rapes), and Mowbray Park in Sunderland (187 crimes, including 13 sexual offences and seven rapes).
Jacqueline Turner, a member of Heaton Harriers running club, was attacked while running in August 2017. She said a man deliberately pushed her over, kicked her, and went for her again when she confronted him. She recalled a police officer telling her she was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”, to which she thought: “I’m about 400m from my front door – where is the right place to be?”
Natalie, from Tyne Bridge Harriers, said the murder of Sarah Everard was often on her mind. “You do sometimes think, ‘am I going to become one of those statistics?’ – I know it’s not likely. But there’s always that slim chance you could bump into someone who is dangerous,” she said.
