CitySafe initiative rolls out more safe havens in Clapton
BSix College student Rhasan Brunner and Jennette Arnold, Chair of the London Assembly, visit shop tender Sudha Kaynnan to tell her about the CitySafe Campaign. - Credit: Archant
Young people from BSix recruited Upper Clapton shopkeepers to denote their premises as “safe havens”, as part of an ongoing campaign to make the streets safer.
Jennette Arnold, Chair of the London Assembly, and Dan Firth, London Citizens Community walk down Lower Clapton Road with the CitySafe Campaign members. - Credit: Archant
The 20 BCitizen student volunteers from BSix College joined forces with the leader of community building group Hackney Citizens, Dan Firth, to continue the roll out of the CitySafe crime-prevention and peace-building initiative.
Tthe CitySafe Campaign group. - Credit: Archant
The idea is for young people to build positive relationships with others in the community.
Shopkeepers are asked to pledge to report all crime and antisocial behaviour to the police, and to also spend time each week building relationships with their neighbours.
They also display a sticker prominently in their shop window, so young people who may feel unsafe know they can come in for refuge.
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The young people were joined by two community support police officers, chair of the London Assembly, Jennette Arnold and Cllr Ian Rathbone as they visited 17 different shops, cafes and businesses – nine of whom signed up there and then to the initiative.
Rebekah Westgate, assistant principal at the college in Kenninghall Road, which has also denoted itself as a safe haven, said she was proud by how professionally the students conducted themselves.
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“They worked well in their teams and spoke with skill and courtesy to the business owners that they visited.
“It is a credit to the training that they have had through Citizens UK as well as their own initiative that the walk was so successful,” she said.
