Call for Action to Ensure Ask for Angela Scheme Works

BBC report highlights lack of awareness in some pubs

Bar staff failed to recognise that a customer was asking for help

November 17, 2024

Opposition councillors are calling for action to ensure that a scheme designed to help women at risk on a night out is operating properly in the borough of Hounslow.

A report this week by the BBC showed that the Ask for Angela initiative, which should allow a woman to discreetly signal to bar or restaurant staff that she feels in danger, is not being implement across all venues including one in Hounslow. More than half of 25 pubs visited for the report failed to respond to a request to see Angela appropriately.

Two reporters, male and female, pretended they were out together on a date and after they had spent some time at a premises, the female asked bartenders if Angela was working today. This is meant to indicate that she requires assistance and that the person she is with should not be alerted.

In some cases, the venues acted appropriately with the reporter immediately being escorted to safety but on several occasions staff were perplexed when asked about the presence of ‘Angela’. One of these was the White Bear in Hounslow town where the manager insisted that there was nobody of that name working at the site. When asked later about the response, the White Bear told reporters that the individual they spoke to wasn’t working for them anymore. Two pub chains which operate in the borough, Greene King and Wetherspoons, also had pubs where staff failed to recognise the codeword.

No Fuller’s pub was identified as failing to respond appropriately in the report. A spokesperson for the company said, “The safety and wellbeing of our teams and our customers is paramount and we are proud to support Ask for Angela. Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure on a night out.”

Following the report, Cllr Joanna Biddolph (Chiswick Gunnersbury ward) has asked the two relevant Hounslow cabinet members to take swift action to reinforce the Ask for Angela scheme in the borough in the run-up to Christmas and new year. In her letter to Cllr Raghwinder Siddhu (cabinet member for Public Safety, Regulatory Services and Enforcement) and Cllr Salman Shaheen (cabinet member for culture, leisure and public spaces) she set out a number of action points that she believed should be carried out.

These included writing to all licenced premises asking them to participate in the scheme and provide a training plan to ensure it was implemented robustly and not undermined by staff turnover. She also wants to see participation in the scheme incorporated into borough licensing policy and fines for venues not responding appropriately when a customer asks for Angela.

She added, "When I have asked residents and friends if they have ever used the Ask for Angela scheme they have said no but they are glad it is there and they would not hesitate if they were in a tricky situation. It is crucial that this scheme is made more effective in Hounslow so anyone needing action can rely on it to help them. I look for Ask for Angela posters in pubs and have always been reassured when I see them. It is shocking to find that in some establishments they are meaningless, raising expectations and giving false hope".

Cllr Peter Thompson, leader of the Conservative group (Chiswick Riverside ward) said, "Like many fathers I have been grateful for Ask for Angela as it is an important option to help young people, in particular, out of situations when they feel vulnerable or at risk. I'm also a school teacher with a duty of care towards many young adults and am acutely aware of how easy it is to be exposed, inadvertently or otherwise, to social occasions which take a wrong turn. It is crucial that the council acts on this decisively and at speed".

Cllr Gabriella Giles, deputy leader of the Conservative group (also Chiswick Riverside ward), added, "I'm lucky as I have never needed to use the Ask for Angela scheme but I am absolutely clear that it is essential. It is a vital resource for anyone who thinks that their drinks might have been spiked, not just those who are in uncomfortable situations. Every establishment that claims to take part, including by having posters in loos, must have a robust policy for dealing with customers in difficulty who Ask for Angela. It is particularly irresponsible to display Ask for Angela posters without the guarantee that requests will be acted on without hesitation. I'm also on the council's licensing panel list and know it would be easy to implement a policy requiring all applicants to comply with the Ask for Angela commitments we are asking for and I hope this will be implemented immediately".

Sylvia Oates, director of Ask for Angela, told the BBC, "It's a real concern that premises have got the poster up and then if somebody asks for Angela, it's not successful."

She added that venues which advertise being part of the scheme had a responsibility to make sure staff were trained to respond.

We asked for a comment from Hounslow Council but were referred to the police on the basis that the Met had set up the Ask for Angela scheme and would be better placed to respond.

Inspector Laura Flowers said, “West Area police have been engaging with licensed venues to provide Ask For Angela safeguarding training through our specialist licensing officers. Neighbourhood police teams have also been attending trained venues and speaking to staff to check their understanding of the scheme and their processes for dealing with a request. The licensing teams then follow up with further training or assistance if a need is identified.”

More information about the national ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme can be found here:
Ask for Angela | Metropolitan Police