This International Women’s Day (Friday 8 March), the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office celebrated the achievements of women in Policing and Fire & Rescue, and reminded people about the work undertaken by the Office to keep women and girls safe.
On Friday, Deputy Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Helen Fisher joined Police officers, staff and fire fighters at a joint services event at the National Memorial Arboretum to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Helen said: “International Women’s Day is an opportunity to thank all the amazing, inspirational women across the world for everything they do, but it is also a time to acknowledge the inequalities and harm many women face.
“The safety of women and girls must be a priority for all of us, and every public space should be a safe place for everyone. The funding secured by the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office, and the support services we commission, provide a significant boost to partnership work already underway across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to ensure that women and girls are not only safer, but feel safer too.”
Initiatives led by the SCO include:
- £750,000 Safer Streets funding invested in Etruria and Hanley, Blurton and Longton West, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Burton and Stafford to tackle Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour through initiatives including CCTV, alley gating, additional night-time economy (NTE) staff, awareness campaigns and community projects
- £300,000 Safety of Women at Night funding invested in Hanley, Stafford, Cannock, Newcastle and Burton in initiatives developed through the Violence Reduction Alliance to prevent VAWG in the NTE, including safe places, street pastors/marshalls, vulnerability training for NTE staff, awareness campaigns and a Safer Places for Women and Girls Charter
- Over £16 million invested over a five-year period (October 2018-September 2023) into New Era’s services to address domestic abuse, under a partnership approach with Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. New Era’s victim services are available by calling 0300 303 3778, or via the website and Live Chat facility at new-era.uk. A confidential helpline for perpetrators is available on 0300 373 5772 during normal office hours.
- Establishing the Survive service, providing free countywide support for victims of sexual assault and sexual abuse, their family members and partners to help them recover from the impact of the crime and cope with the harm they have experienced. To access support, call the 24-hour helpline on 0300 330 5959 or email referrals@staffordshirewomensaid.org.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion through actions such as recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent. Both Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service are committed to creating inclusive workplaces which reflect the communities they serve.
Over a third (36.07%) of Staffordshire Police officers are now female – an increase of 1.66% since December 2022, and almost two thirds (64.31%) of Police staff are female. Since January 2023, 44.58% of officers joining the force were female*.
In Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, female employees across whole-time and on-call fire fighters, support staff and principle officers increased from 18.81% in September 2022 to 19.23% by 1 October 2023.**
*Figures from Police Public Performance Meeting Report, January 2024
**Figures from Fire & Rescue Public Performance Meeting Report, November 2023
