‘Ask For Angela’ Roll-Out Continues

‘Ask For Angela’ is a campaign that has gained traction over the last few months. The movement to protect vulnerable people in nightclubs started in pre-pandemic times and has now received additional support following the easing of restrictions.

As the UK embarks on its post COVID journey, and with the majority of venues open again, the initiative looks to take centre stage once more.
Hospitality staff around the country have been trained specifically for the latest roll-out – launched by Sadiq Khan, the Metropolitan Police and Safer Sounds.

The ‘Ask for Angela’ drive, whereby a person who feels under threat can use a code word to let a member of staff or security know, follows a US campaign that suggested clubbers ask for an ‘angel shot’. The UK version was adapted to ‘Ask for Angela’ in 2016 when it was first introduced to our nightlife scene.

Speaking about the new initiative to PA, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors hopes that the initiative will be widely adopted, saying: “As clubs re-open now, there have been over 350 venues that have had the training, and about 500 to 600 staff, which is a positive step.”

Adding: “violent crime and targeting people has not risen to the levels that it was at pre-pandemic,” the new initiative is working to “prevent incidents from happening.”

Ian Graham, Chief Licensing Officer with the Metropolitan Police, said: “This isn’t a Met scheme per se; this is a partnership between ourselves and the industry. The Met is there to support the businesses, but the frontline will be the businesses.”

Find out more about ‘Ask for Angela’ here.

‘Ask For Angela’ joins another awareness campaign, ‘Change The Lineup’, which aims to raise awareness around female safety in clubs and the wider society.