Nottingham has been awarded ‘Purple Flag’ status for the thirteenth year in a row – an indicator of the city’s night time vibrancy and safety. The award is similar to the Blue Flag and Green flag awards for beaches and parks in the UK.
The Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID) worked in partnership with other organisations in the city to secure the accreditation, including the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire Police and Community Protection.
Councillor Rebecca Langton, who is the portfolio holder for Skills, Growth and Economic Development for Nottingham City Council said: “Since first gaining Purple Flag status 12 years ago, partners in Nottingham have been really focused on maintaining or improving the attributes that are needed to create a city centre which is a safe, fun, and well looked after place to enjoy.”
Chief Inspector of Nottingham Police, Amy English added: “Since the night-time economy reopened, we ensured that there were plenty of officers patrolling the streets, and high-visibility policing operations have been put in place on Nottingham’s tram network as part of a wider campaign to increase the safety of women and girls in particular.”
The City Council have announced that a mobile “safe space” will be regularly parked on Derby Road, one of the city’s busiest roads, during the night time economy to offer safety to anyone in distress, building on the city’s Safe Space Pledge which enlists the support of Nottingham venues to keep women and girls safe on their premises.
This comes just a year after a wave of needle and drink spiking incidents were reported in Nottingham, particularly affecting the city’s student population. The spiking ‘epidemic’ in Nottingham led to an organised boycott of Nottingham nightclubs in October 2021 called ‘Girls Night In’. I spoke with two members of the Nottingham Spiking Awareness Group, Sihaam Ali and Lauren Simpson, about the safety of women and girls in Nottingham.
On the topic of whether Nottingham can be considered a safe city, Lauren said: “Nottingham can’t be considered safe until everyone takes night time safety more seriously. This ranges from spiking to sexual assaults to security officers not over-exerting themselves and using unnecessary brute force.”
Sihaam explained that it’s the responsibility of both Nottingham City Council as well as bar and club owners to ensure the safety of people at night. She said: “In terms of the council, there could be more initiatives done and there should be more of an emphasis on the police.” Sihaam explained that club bouncers can detain someone who has caused harm to others, but it’s the responsibility of the police to take allegations further.
She said: “There’s been a lack of that happening because there are so many cases – whether it be a fight or an attempted assault – where they aren’t policing or arresting people. Having more police presence and undercover police officers in venues would help this issue.”
Sihaam also made it clear that individual bar and club owners can help directly on site. “They could really be doing a lot of things – whether it’s having stickers on the cups or hiring someone who focuses on well-being and making sure that nothing suspicious is going on.”
Lauren also highlighted that “There are so many great initiatives like the WYA (Where You At) app, so it’s about time clubs and bars were more proactive at implementing them.” Earlier this month, the Nottingham Spiking Awareness Group held a Nottingham nightlife safety forum to increase advocacy on the issue of spiking and to provide holistic solutions. Lauren said: “Our event was just the start, so much more can still be done”.