Revealed: Five areas of city and county where women feel most unsafe - and what the police are doing about it

FIVE key areas where women and girls feel the most unsafe in Nottinghamshire have been identified as officers are implementing new measures to tackle unwanted behaviour from men.

- By RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

The problem areas have been identified in Nottingham city centre, Rushcliffe, Newark, Mansfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield.

The spots have been identified as part of Nottinghamshire Police’s Walk in my Shoes campaign, through which more than 3,600 women and girls shared where they feel most unsafe.

Superintendent Heather Maelor, force lead for the Prevention Hub, which covers violence against women and girls (VAWG), said: “The survey was about being open and listening to what women and girls told us about where they feel unsafe.

“There were no predictions for the areas that were going to be identified as hotspots.

“Now we are focusing on those areas and have started to put interventions in place.

“This is a great opportunity for men and boys to reflect on their behaviour. The government has an aspiration to halve VAWG by 50 percent in the next 10 years.

“The campaign is something we can do specific to Nottingham to contribute to that target. This is a national issue and we must tackle it together”

In the city centre, Angel Row and Long Row have been identified as Nottingham's most problematic areas in terms of unwanted behaviour.

To tackle the issues, a Safe Point, which is a camera-operated button with links to the police control room, will be installed in Angel Row by April 2026.

Another initiative will involve Nottingham City Transport bus drivers being trained on how to operate a scheme similar to Ask for Angela, which was introduced in night time venues as a way for women to alert staff discretely about feeling uncomfortable or unsafe.

HOTSPOTS IDENTIFIED IN ‘WALK IN MY SHOES’ CAMPAIGN SURVEY

The scheme will be launched “imminently’.

On the border of Nottingham and Rushcliffe, the key area identified by those who took part in the survey is the river path next to County Hall on the banks of the River Trent due to its poor lighting.