Teesside: Over a third feel unsafe walking in the region at night

It comes as two thirds of women say they feel unsafe alone in the evenings - a sharp rise from a few years ago.

Transcript

00:00More people in Teesside are feeling unsafe on the streets, especially at night.

00:06Over a third of people in the northeast say they feel unsafe walking home alone, and even

00:11more worry about alleyways.

00:13Calls to services like StrutSafe are increasing, showing the scale of concern.

00:17Women are particularly affected.

00:19Almost two thirds now say they feel unsafe walking alone at night, a big rise from just

00:23a few years ago.

00:25More people are also taking extra steps to protect themselves, from avoiding certain

00:28streets to carrying alarms.

00:31Campaigners say better street lighting and stronger action on harassment are needed to

00:35make places like Middlesbrough and Stockton feel safer.

00:39Some areas, including near the university and nightlife hotspots, have seen an increase

00:43in reports of harassment.

00:45There are also calls for improved public transport safety, including more late-night bus services

00:49and security on trains.

00:52Local groups have started offering chaperone services for people walking home alone, but

00:56they say long-term solutions are needed.