Retail staff in Ballymena to join Ask for Angela safety scheme

A safety initiative already supported by around 300 hospitality venues across Northern Ireland is set to be extended to shops in Ballymena.

Retail staff in the town are to receive training as part of the Ask for Angela scheme, which provides a discreet way for people to seek help if they feel unsafe, threatened or vulnerable.

Speaking at an online recent meeting of the Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership, PSNI Chief Inspector Siobhan Watt said the move is about “having awareness around the concept”.

Chief Inspector Watt explained that the purpose of the initiative is to “reduce sexual violence and harassment by providing a discreet means for people to get help”.

She said the scheme is intended for anyone who may be feeling threatened on a date or during a night out, whether male or female, gay or straight.

Ask for Angela has been described by the PSNI as a safety initiative used in bars, clubs and other venues, allowing people who feel unsafe, threatened or vulnerable with someone they have met to discreetly seek help by asking staff for “Angela”.

Trained staff can then assist by separating the individual from their companion, calling a taxi, involving security staff, or informing police.

Police say the initiative “aims to reduce sexual violence, harassment and vulnerability by providing a discreet phrase to get help”.

The scheme is already widely used across the UK and in venues throughout Northern Ireland, including locations in Mid and East Antrim where Ask for Angela posters are displayed.

Chief Inspector Watt told the meeting that around 300 hospitality businesses across Northern Ireland have already signed up to the scheme. She also revealed that Translink staff operating late-night services are being trained to recognise the Ask for Angela initiative.

“It is a tool for anyone who feels in danger or uncomfortable in a venue,” police have said.

“If advertised in a venue, it also provides reassurance, which can make a venue more attractive to customers.”

The latest development comes after Mid and East Antrim Borough Council backed a motion encouraging more local hospitality businesses to sign up to the scheme.

Ask for Angela is promoted and supported by the PSNI and Hospitality Ulster.

Proposing the motion, Ballymena Independent councillor Lawrie Philpott said:

“We in Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, by adopting the scheme, can offer any of our community groups and businesses information on how to find the relevant literature and training.

“I propose that Mid and East Antrim Borough Council support the Ask for Angela scheme, actively promote, encourage and familiarise our businesses and community groups, sports clubs and associations to embrace this wonderful scheme for the safety of women and girls primarily, but not exclusively.”

Seconding the motion, Bannside TUV councillor Anna Henry said:

“At its heart, Ask for Angela is a simple and practical initiative. It relies on awareness, training and co-operation between businesses, councils and the police.

“The strength of the scheme lies in its simplicity. A short phrase spoken at a counter can alert trained staff that someone is in difficulty and needs assistance, whether that means contacting police, arranging safe transport, or simply creating distance from a threatening situation.

“Importantly, this is not an untested idea. It does work.

“The scheme is only worthwhile if it is well-known and well understood. A safety initiative that exists only on paper achieves nothing.

“Awareness is crucial among staff at participating venues and among the public who may need to use it. If people do not know the phrase, or staff do not know how to respond, the scheme fails at the very moment it is needed most.

“For that reason, I believe the council’s role should be a supportive, facilitating one. That means helping to publicise the scheme through council communication channels, signposting local businesses to available training resources, and working constructively with the PSNI and Hospitality Ulster.

“Keeping people safe in our town centres, particularly at night, is a shared responsibility.

“Initiatives like Ask for Angela are a sensible, low-cost and practical tool that can make a real difference in specific moments of vulnerability.

“I’m delighted there are many venues in Mid and East Antrim that are registered, including the Tullyglass House Hotel, Coast Road Inn, St John’s Masonic Club in Larne, Carrickfergus Bowling Club and Greenisland War Memorial Sports Club, to name a few.

“But there is room for more across our borough.”