A number of female pupils have been learning about ways to stay safe, including an app that can turn mobile phone into a body cam and panic button. Pupils at Meden School, Warsop, were informed about the Hollie Guard app during an educational workshop and shown how the free app can be discreetly activated to record evidence in real time.
Following the workshop, which was part of the £300,000 Safer Streets campaign for the Warsop area, 75 per cent of those who attended the session signed up for the app. The Safer Streets campaign is being delivered by Mansfield District Council, Nottinghamshire Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and other support agencies in the area.
As part of the campaign, a year's free access to the Holly Guard Extra app is being paid for, which is an enhanced version of the free app. This version of the app gives users 24/7 access to a professional police-approved monitoring team, who are able to send help if needed.
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There are 200 free subscriptions being offered in the Warsop area on a first come first served basis, almost half of which have been claimed. Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “Through Safer Streets we have delivered a range of projects to make women and girls feel safer in Warsop, including Safe Spaces in shops and new CCTV cameras in public spaces.
“We are always looking for innovative ways to do more to make people feel even safer. By making young people aware of the Hollie Guard app and offering free subscriptions we are trying to do everything we can to support local people – whilst showing perpetrators that there is zero tolerance for violence against women and girls in Warsop.”
Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Health, and Safer Communities, Councillor Angie Jackson, added: "We hope this gives people, and particularly women and girls who feel vulnerable or at risk in Warsop, more confidence to get out and about with peace of mind that help is at their fingertips. All the Safer Streets measures, we hope, will lead to an improved quality of life for everyone in Warsop."
In addition to the Hollie app, the campaign is also funding new CCTV cameras, improved street lightening and one to one mentoring sessions across the area. Businesses in Warsop are also offering a Safe Space for anyone who feels worried or in danger, which includes The Plough Inn, Greetings, Cedars veterinary practice and Warsop Library.
