When it comes to walking alone, there are certain precautions you can take to reduce the chance of an incident.

1) Plan Your Route

Make sure you plan your route ahead of time. If you are walking in an area you are not familiar with, this can help keep you from getting lost. If you do get lost, find a petrol station, supermarket, or shop where you can ask for directions.

2) Make Sure Someone Else Knows Your Plans

If you can, let someone know you are going out, even if you are just taking the dogs out for a walk around your neighbourhood or walking home from a friend’s house nearby. Knowing someone knows where you are can be reassuring and help you feel safe. If you fall and hurt yourself or run into trouble, and someone knows where you are, they can send help if you don’t arrive at your destination on time.

3) Always Carry Your Phone with You

Always carry your phone where possible. Your phone can be a lifeline if you see something suspicious or worse if something happens to you. Download a safety app on your phone, so you’ll be able to discreetly alert the authorities if you feel threatened or see something suspicious, or download the What 3 Words App so you can the Police know your exact location https://what3words.com

4) Avoid Suspicious People and Areas

Try to avoid areas that are dark, deserted, or out-of-the-way. Stick to busier, well lit paths, to minimize the risks. Also, try to walk mainly in familiar places where you are known. That way, if you feel like a suspicious person is following you, you can always duck into a shop you know or knock on a neighbour’s door. 

5) Keep Your Hands Free

Except for a flashlight and one of the items discussed below, keep your hands free. If you are carrying anything, put it all in one bag or backpack. This will make it easier for you to react if you notice someone following you. In a dangerous situation, carrying too many bags can keep you from moving as quickly as you can if your hands are free or if you only have one bag.

6) Carry a Non-Violent Deterrent

In addition to a flashlight, carry a non-violent deterrent such as a whistle or personal attack alarm. A whistle or alarm will help you alert others and call them to aid you if something is wrong. The loud noise may put off attackers.

7) Wear Reflective Clothing to Prevent Accidents

When it comes to personal safety, it’s not just about suspicious people. Areas with low visibility can be prone to accidents. Reflective clothing allows bikers and cars to see you as you walk along. A flashlight or headlight can also help drivers see you if there are dark stretches of road on your route.

8) Take a Self-Defense Class

When fighting off something as an assault, the element of surprise can work in your favour. If you regularly walk alone, take a self-defense class. The idea is to disable your attacker enough for you to get to safety, and a class focused on self-defense will help give you those survival skills.

9) Remove Any Distractions

Keep your phone in your hand in case you need to hit the panic button on your safety app, but don’t let it distract you. When walking alone day or night for exercise, music can be motivating and energizing but also distracting. You may not hear someone driving or walking up behind you. 

10) Trust Your Gut

When walking alone, trust your gut. If you feel like an area or situation may be dangerous, don’t wait around to find out. Stop and scan your surroundings if you think someone is following you. If you are being followed, walk as quickly as you can to a well-lit public place. You can wait until you feel safe, or call a friend, a taxi, or an Uber to help you get safely get home at night.

If you are in trouble call 999 in an emergency

Following these personal safety tips will help keep you stay safe when walking alone. Always be aware of where you are and be alert to suspicious activity. We also have StreetSafe which is an online tool on the police.uk website which was launched in September 2021 by the Home Office.

It enables members of the public to anonymously pinpoint public places on a map where they have felt or feel unsafe and identify environmental or behavioural factors about those locations that make them feel this way.

Across the UK, more than 11,000 reports have been submitted by the public via the tool, averaging at 50 reports daily, with 72 percent of reports from women.

Over 300 people in West Yorkshire have submitted a report, and officers are encouraging people to submit their pinpoints via the tool, to better understand where areas of concern are.

To use the tool, please visit: https://www.police.uk/pu/notices/streetsafe/street-safe/

When using the tool, you will be asked:

*where it happened

*why you felt unsafe, e.g. because you were followed or there was poor lighting

*why you haven't reported what happened to the police

your age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, if you have any illnesses or disabilities

**StreetSafe is not for reporting crime or incidents. If something has happened to you or someone you know you can call us on 101 or report online. Always call 999 in an emergency**