Jess Phillips MP: 'We are sending more police into town centres this Christmas - to protect women'

This Christmas town centres across the country will come alive as the nation celebrates the festive season.

Our high streets are packed with shoppers and people come together to celebrate over music, food and drink.

But beneath the beauty of the Christmas lights and the holiday spirit, there is a hard truth that needs to be acknowledged.

As I know from years working on the front line, every day over this Christmas period thousands of women across the country will have to make decisions in ways that most men never have to think about. It might be choosing a route home from the pub, texting a friend to say you’re safe, avoiding certain places after dark.

No woman should live like that, at any time of the year. All of us have the right to enjoy our towns and cities – to go out, have fun, get home safely, unwind over the Christmas period and feel confident we will be protected.

The tragic reality is that violence against women and girls does not stop being a national emergency at this time of year.

For too long, crime and predatory behaviour has been allowed to fester in our town centres unchecked, as visible neighbourhood policing has declined.

That’s why we’re launching a Winter of Action to deliver visible, targeted policing in hundreds of town centres across the country this Christmas.

This means you’ll see more officers on the streets – patrolling outside bars, at bus stops, train stations and on high streets. Their job is to protect you, to tackle alcohol-related disorder, spiking and predatory behaviour.

The Winter of Action builds on the Safer Streets Summer initiative, which took place in almost 650 town centres, resulted in over 16,000 arrests and fines, and saw targeted visible patrols up almost 20%.

This is not just about keeping women safe – they need to feel safe too. Visible policing matters. It sends a clear message: predatory behaviour will be stopped in its tracks.

We’re doing this together. Police are working with councils, businesses and community groups to protect shoppers, retail workers and anyone out and about enjoying Christmas festivities.

A co-ordinated response matters. That’s why we are training thousands of staff working in the nighttime economy nationwide on how to spot and tackle spiking.

And this December the National Police Chiefs Council enters the second national period of anti-spiking intensification. Forces are working proactively within the night-time economy, including using covert tactics, to target predatory behaviour and stop woman falling victim to spiking.

And this doesn’t end with winter. By spring, 3,000 additional officers and PCSOs will be in neighbourhood roles through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

We are backing them with tougher laws to protect our streets. From new powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, to making spiking a new criminal offence, this is about restoring confidence and reclaiming public spaces. It’s about creating the kind of nighttime economy and high streets where people feel safe and confident to live, work, come together and celebrate in this Christmas.

Everyone has a right to feel safe wherever they go, whatever the hour, whatever the time of year. That’s why our upcoming VAWG Strategy will be vital for our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. This needs a truly transformational approach to our response across every part of government.

We know this won’t happen overnight.

It requires systemic change through better prevention, stronger enforcement and a cultural shift. It means listening to women and acting on what they tell us. It means rebuilding trust and reversing years of declining police presence on our streets.

Public spaces belong to everyone. By putting more visible policing where it’s needed most this winter, we are building towns and cities we can feel proud of, that are places of celebration and joy where we come together.

Because no one should have to plan their life around fear – not at Christmas, not ever.