Over 100 hospitality venues across Northern Ireland have registered for 'Ask for Angela' training, in a bid to help people who end up feeling unsafe on nights out.
Bars, pubs, hotels, restaurants and security staff can avail of the training, which is provided by the PSNI. A map of local venues signed up to the scheme already can be found on the Police Service’s website.
The scheme, where someone asks for Angela at the bar, alerts staff that someone is not feeling safe and they can then be offered support.
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That might be a taxi home, getting them to someone they trust, alerting security to a person causing distress or alerting police to criminal behaviour.
The initiative has been running in England and Wales since 2016 and is now being rolled out in Northern Ireland, in a partnership between the hospitality industry and the PSNI.
"Everyone should be free to meet and enjoy what our industry has to offer without concern for their safety, and we will continue as an industry in our efforts to ensure this is the case," said Joel Neill, Operations Director for Hospitality Ulster.
"We encourage all hospitality businesses to sign up to ‘Ask for Angela’ and ask their staff to complete the excellent and easy-to-use training pack, in the event that it is able to help someone in need.”
PSNI Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said: “It is a simple, yet effective, initiative that allows those who may find themselves in a vulnerable situation with a quick and discreet way to access the help they need.
“We know that the hospitality sector across Northern Ireland works hard to create safe places for people to go out and have fun so this is another way that local businesses can make their customers feel even safer.
“We want people to enjoy themselves on a night out but should any issues arise they can now ‘Ask for Angela’ at participating venues.”
Willie Jack, Owner of the Duke of York, the Harp and the Dark Horse in Belfast has signed up and is endorsing the scheme, saying: “Ask for Angela is a fantastic safety initiative, and we’re really pleased to be supporting it.
"The safety of our customers is and has always been, a priority for us and so is helping to create an environment where people feel comfortable.
"If you’re out and about in my venues and need help for whatever reason, please don't hesitate to approach staff and ‘Ask for Angela’, they will know what to do. We would encourage others to get involved too.”
A map of local venues signed up to the scheme already can be found on the Police Service’s website.
For those venues wishing to sign up for training, the link is here.
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