What's our line…
If you are wondering about the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s opinion on a specific topic, look here first.
Alcohol & Safety
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust stresses that alcohol is a mind altering substance which impairs our ability to make safe decisions and choices. Even a few drinks can make a person decide to take risks which they wouldn’t dream of doing normally – such as getting into an unlicensed minicab or taking a short cut through a deserted park late at night.
Taking these unnecessary risks makes people more vulnerable to certain types of crime, including violence and sexual attacks. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust are concerned that the culture of binge drinking in the UK is creating huge numbers of ‘easy targets’ for criminals.
Drink-Spiking and Drug-Assisted Rapes
There has been so much emphasis in the media during the last few years about the dangers of drug rape and drink-spiking but the Suzy Lamplugh Trust believe the real threat to people’s safety is not what is put in your drink but the drink itself. Research has identified that alcohol is far more likely to be a factor in rape and sexual assault cases than drug spiking.
Having said that, drink-spiking and drug-assisted rape are still issues that people need to stay alert about – and that includes men, as male rapes are more prevalent than many assume.
Mini-cab safety – Are people still taking risks?
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust thinks that most people are far more aware of the risks of getting in to an unlicensed mini-cab these days. However, still too many of those who would never dream of getting into one when they are sober, don’t think twice after they’ve had a few drinks.
What exacerbates the problem is the fact that many people still don’t know how to tell a licensed cab from an unlicensed one. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust believe it should be made much more obvious to everyone – even the uninformed tourist – which are the legitimate cabs and that this should be made uniform across the UK.
Mini-Cab Licensing – Is it working?
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust believe that whilst mini-cab licensing goes a long way towards improving the safety of passengers, there are two issues which concern us. The first is the problem with identification. The charity thinks it should be made more obvious to potential passengers if a cab is licensed or not and that any form of identification should be made uniform across the UK.
The second is the issue of how it is decided who should or should not be given a license due to a criminal record. The decision as to who might be a danger to the public is left up to individuals within the relevant local authority and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust are concerned that these individuals may not have the suitable training or experience for this job.
Children Today – Are they over-protected?
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust believe that the attention the media has shown to threats and attacks on children over the years has caused many parents to restrict their children’s independence in an attempt to keep them safe, which is a shame. There is no doubt that it can be a dangerous world but the dangers must be kept in proportion. Nobody wants children to be so over-protected that they cannot live their lives to the full.
The charity stresses that the important thing is that children are not wrapped in cotton wool one minute and sent off into the world with no preparation the next. Personal safety is a life skill that can be learnt and as children grow, they should learn safe independence.
They are going to be out there on their own one day and one of the best gifts you can give a child is the knowledge and confidence to live their life to the full as safely as possible.
Safety of Lone workers
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust emphasises that all employees who come into contact with the general public can potentially be at risk of violence and aggression. However, anyone on their own – without the support and back up of colleagues – is more vulnerable than most.
Lone workers need systems and procedures that protect their safety. The lack of these can result not only in staff being put in unnecessary danger – and the employer at risk of litigation – but also low morale, lack of motivation, high levels of sick leave and a high staff turnover. These factors have a negative impact on the organisational performance as well as the individuals. Therefore the Suzy Lamplugh Trust believes it pays both employer and employee to get it right.
Gap Year Travel – Should parents be worried?
There are dangers for the unprepared that can cause foreign trips to end in disaster, however the Suzy Lamplugh Trust believe that the majority of problems occur due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of the culture of the country or countries that are being visited.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust stresses that it is vital that travellers find out in advance as much as they can about the country or countries they plan to visit. The more knowledge they have the safer they will be.
Some of the factors to be considered if you wish to avoid potentially dangerous situations are dress, social relations, politics, body language, hand signals and the law.
Are We More at Risk on Holiday than at Home?
People are seldom more relaxed, less on guard and, in many cases, more drunk on a nightly basis, than when they are on holiday. Add to that the fact that they usually don’t know the dangerous and safe areas of their holiday destination, the culture or even how to tell a reputable taxi from a rogue one, and it’s easy to see why holidays can be a recipe for disaster.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust believes that people need to make a conscious decision before going on holiday that they are going to take sensible precautions to protect their safety – and they need to ensure that too much sun, sea and sand doesn’t affect that decision when they get there.
Personal Safety of Boys & Young Men
Many people believe that girls and young women are most at threat from violence and aggression but statistics show that boys and young men are more than twice as likely to become a victim of a violent attack.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust believes it is vital that boys and young men know the right precautions to take in order to reduce the risks. Unfortunately too many of them think that carrying a knife to protect themselves is the smart thing to do.
There has been a lot of publicity about knife amnesties recently but the Suzy Lamplugh Trust feels that if a person is carrying a knife for safety purposes, they are not going to give it up and leave themselves vulnerable unless you give them an alternative.
The charity believes this problem can be addressed by teaching them about defusion techniques and exit strategies. These offer intelligent, safe methods of avoiding violence and aggression.
Workplace Safety – general
Personal safety in the workplace has improved tremendously since Suzy Lamplugh’s disappearance in 1986. At that time the personal safety of staff was not even recognised as an issue in the workplace.
These days the majority of good employers take the personal safety of their staff very seriously and spend the time and effort to develop effective safety policies and procedures to minimise any risks and offer suitable training and resources to staff to ensure that they can deal with any difficult situations that might occur during their working day.
However, there are still too many employers, and employees, who do not consider personal safety to be an issue, even though they are required by law to do so. Therefore the Suzy Lamplugh Trust will continue to work to improve safety in the workplace and to expose bad practice wherever it occurs.
Safety in Schools
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust believes that everyone in a school community – teachers, pupils and visitors – should be made aware of the importance of their own and others’ personal safety.
Schools should ensure that everyone within their community knows that they have the right to feel safe; regardless of their background, colour, sexual orientation or ability.
Both staff and students should be encouraged to speak out at all times if they have a concern about their own or someone else’s safety and everyone in the community should be involved in helping to create an environment in which they can work and learn safely.