Glasgow councillors to be given personal alarms

Sixty personal safety alarms will be handed out to Glasgow councillors next month.

It comes as 15 actions are being rolled out to try and improve women’s safety in the city.

SNP councillor Anne McTaggart said alarms were now being issued while work was taking place to carry out the new ideas which it is hoped will improve the situation for females living in the city.

The news followed a council motion being passed in April calling for new measures to tackle violence against women.

Speaking during her motion earlier in the year, Councillor Soryia Siddique said: “When you are a working-class woman of colour in Glasgow, safety isn’t something you are given – it is something you are expected to fight for, to justify to constantly prove you deserve.

“Here we are in 2025 still asking for the basics.

“The numbers speak for themselves. Domestic abuse up 40%, rape reports up over 40%, police numbers down, services overwhelmed and trust broken.”

Proposed actions include encouraging businesses to adopt measures such as the Ask for Angela scheme -which allows people who feel unsafe in bars or clubs to discreetly seek help.

It also suggests improved training for school staff to educate pupils on issues of misogyny, gender-based violence and gender inequality.

A refreshment of the Glasgow Women’s Safety Action Plan is also being undertaken and there is to be a city wide consultation on the Glasgow Violence Against Women and Girls Partnership’s (GVAWP) strategy to gather direct input from women, among other measures.

Story by Local Democracy reporter Sarah Hilley.