Staffordshire Police

Staying safe when you’re out and about

• If you often walk home in the dark, get a personal attack alarm from a DIY store or ask your local crime prevention officer where you can buy one. You can contact him or her on 0300 123 4455. Carry it in your hand so you can use it immediately to scare off an attacker. Make sure it is designed to continue sounding if it’s dropped or falls to the ground.
• Carry your bag close to you with the clasp facing inwards. Carry your house keys in your pocket. If someone grabs your bag, let it go. If you hang on, you could get hurt. Remember your safety is more important than your property.
• If you think someone is following you, check by crossing the street – more than once if necessary – to see if he follows. If you are still worried, get to the nearest place where there are other people – a pub or anywhere with a lot of lights on – and call the police. Avoid using an enclosed phonebox in the street, as the attacker could trap you inside.
• If you regularly go jogging or cycling, try to vary your route and time. Stick to well-lit roads with pavements. On commons and parklands, keep to main paths and open spaces where you can see and be seen by other people – avoid wooded areas. If you wear a personal stereo, remember you can’t hear traffic, or somebody approaching behind you.
• Don’t take short-cuts through dark alleys, parks or across waste ground. Walk facing the traffic so a car cannot pull up behind you unnoticed.
• If a car stops and you are threatened, scream and shout, and set off your personal attack alarm if you have one. Get away as quickly as you can. This will gain you vital seconds and make it more difficult for the car driver to follow. If you can, make a mental note of the number and description of the car. Write down details as soon as possible afterwards.
• Don’t hitch-hike or take lifts from strangers.
• Cover up expensive looking jewellery.
  

Staying safe in taxis and private hire vehicles

• If you are going to be out late or don't want to travel on public transport on your own, try to arrange a lift home with someone you know or make your journey by taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV, sometimes called a minicab).
• Taxis and PHVs give you a degree of protection because vehicles and drivers must meet suitability criteria, including local minimum standards for vehicles and a criminal record and health checks for drivers, before they are licensed by your local council.
• You can hail a taxi on the street or at a rank as well as pre-booking it but you can only pre-book a PHV through a licensed PHV operator (not a PHV driver).
• You should always ensure that you travel in a licensed taxi and PHV by checking the vehicle's signage or plate and the driver's badge. You should never agree to travel in an unlicensed vehicle with an unlicensed driver.
• Check that the taxi or PHV that arrives is the one you ordered. Ask for a description of the car - colour, make, etc - and check this when it arrives. You could also ask for the name of the driver beforehand.
• If you pre-book your taxi or PHV, make a note of the company you are using, and the telephone number, and if possible leave it with a friend.
• When you get to your destination, ask the driver to wait until you are inside.
• If you are approached by someone in the street offering (ie touting for) a taxi or PHV journey, ignore them. Touting is an offence. Indeed, it has recently been made recordable so that fingerprinting and DNA tests can be made on offenders.
• If travelling alone, always sit behind the driver in the back seat.
• If you feel uneasy, ask to be let out in a well-lit area where there are plenty of people.
• If in any doubt, make an excuse and don't get in the vehicle.
  Staying safe on public transport
• Try to stay away from isolated bus stops, especially after dark.
• On an empty bus, sit near the driver or conductor.
• On a train, sit in a compartment where there are several other people – ideally one which will be near the exit of your destination. Check to see where the emergency chain is.
  When driving
• Before a long trip, make sure your vehicle is in good condition.
• Plan how to get to your destination before leaving, and stay on main roads if you can.
• Make sure you have enough money and petrol. Carry a spare petrol can.
• Make sure your mobile phone I charged up. Carry a torch.
• Before you leave, tell anyone you are planning to meet what time you think you will get there, and the route you are taking.
• If someone tries to flag you down, drive on until you come to a service station, or somewhere busy, and call the police. Do not pick up hitch-hikers.
• Keep doors locked when driving and keep any bag, phone or valuables out of sight. If you have the window open, only wind it down a little. Don’t wind it down far enough to allow someone to reach in while you are stopped in traffic.
• If you think you are being followed, try to alert others by flashing your lights and sounding your horn. Make as much noise as possible. If you can, keep driving until you come to a busy place.
• After dark, park in a well-lit, busy place. Look around before you get out. If you’re parking in daylight, but coming back for your car at night, think about how things will look in the dark.
• Have your key ready when you go back to your car. Make sure there is no-one in the car.
• If your car develops problems, find a telephone. On motorways follow the marker arrows to the closest phone. They are never placed any more than a mile apart, on opposite sides of the motorway. Never cross the carriageway to use a phone.
• While on the hard shoulder or telephoning, keep a sharp look-out and don’t accept lifts from strangers – wait for the police or breakdown service. Don’t wait in the car – there is a high risk of an accident. Wait on the embankment nearby with the front passenger door open. If someone approaches you or you feel threatened, lock yourself in the car and speak to them through a small gap in the window.
• If you frequently have to travel after dark, or if your job involves visiting people at home, eg a health visitor or a district nurse, consider getting a mobile phone or ask your employer to provide one.

National organisations: 

Rape Crisis www.rapecrisis.org.uk or Survivors Trust www.thesurvivorstrust.org 

 Local groups:

• Savana, in Stoke-on-Trent
• Emerge in Stafford
• Sexual and Domestic Abuse and Rape Advice Centre (SARAC)
  in Burton-upon-Trent.