Success for 'Ask for Angela' checks in city

5 hours ago

David SpereallYorkshire

News image — "Ask for Angela" aims to ensure anyone feeling vulnerable is able to get the support they need

Getty Images A large group of people on the dance floor of a disco. There is a disco ball on the ceiling and purple spotlights shining on the dance floor. — "Ask for Angela" aims to ensure anyone feeling vulnerable is able to get the support they need

The "Ask for Angela" protocol, which is designed to help people feeling vulnerable on a night out, is largely being followed in Wakefield, police have said.

The nationwide scheme, which started in 2016, is a discreet codeword people can say to staff in bars and clubs if they are feeling threatened or unsafe.

Venues are then expected to offer support to that person, either by helping them leave safely or reuniting them with friends.

West Yorkshire Police said a recent undercover test operation conducted in Wakefield found more than 80% of venues were compliant with the scheme.

In all the venues, the tester received assistance from staff, with the pubs and clubs then graded depending on how diligently they responded, officers said.

Sgt Adrian Simpson, from West Yorkshire Police, said: "This type of test operation is important in order to assure the public as to the effectiveness of the Ask for Angela initiative, so that if it is genuinely needed then it can be relied upon with confidence.

"The overall outcome of this policing operation in partnership with Wakefield Council was positive, in that a high standard of safeguarding interventions were offered by the majority of premises to individuals who 'Asked for Angela'," he said.

A public safety poster designed to help people who feel unsafe during a date or social situation. It features the heading “Ask for Angela For discreet help.” The poster explains that if someone feels uncomfortable, threatened, or like their date isn’t who they claimed to be, they can go to the bar and quietly ask for “Angela.” — Venues were tested over four days, all Fridays and Saturdays, in November, December and January, police said

West Yorkshire Police said they wanted people to enjoy going out in Wakefield, to feel safe and to know help was readily available if something did not feel right.

"We're pleased with the outcomes of our Ask for Angela tests, but we won't be complacent," Simpson said.

"We'll continue working with businesses to help them provide prompt and sensitive support to anyone who needs it."

A BBC investigation in 2024 found that numerous bars and clubs across the country were not following the Ask for Angela protocol, despite being signed up to the scheme.

Councillor Dan Wilton said the results showed the scheme was working well in Wakefield.

"It was a really positive test. We had an 84% success rate across the district and it shows that businesses understand how the Ask for Angela scheme works," Wilton said.

The council would continue supporting venues that needed improvement, he added.

"Most of these were not big issues. They were small things. We're making sure we are where it should be, and we're working with the police to give that extra bit of training to make sure that next time we have an even better pass rate."

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