Jess Bostock and Sylvie Pope – who have been campaigning for nearly three years – have been celebrating their achievements, as the UK government last week announced that it will ask the police to record crimes motivated by a person’s sex or gender.
Following the tragic death of Sarah Everard, Home Office Minister, Baroness Williams, last Wednesday declared that all police forces in England and Wales will be asked to record crimes caused by hostility based on sex or gender from autumn onwards, and this change is taking place while the government awaits the outcomes of the Law Commissions review of hate crime legislation.
Two graduates from @officialuom who founded the @MisogynyIsHate campaign in 2018 have been celebrating this week, as @govuk announced that the police will be asked to record crimes motivated by a person's sex or gender https://t.co/GHpEcN56lE
— The University of Manchester News (@UoMNews) March 22, 2021
For Jess and Sylvie, this is a major step forward, as it brings them closer to their goal of ensuring that misogyny is classed as a hate crime, which will help to tackle male violence against women.
Having experienced unwanted sexual advances and everyday sexism herself, Sylvie Pope started the campaign to make misogyny a hate crime as leader of Greater Manchester Citizens Women’s Action Group back in 2018 – while still a Social Sciences student at The University of Manchester – and was inspired to take action after hearing about Nottingham Citizens, a group who had successfully campaigned to see Nottinghamshire Police become the first police force in the UK to record misogyny as a hate crime.
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The pair then brought together women from across Greater Manchester’s communities to form an alliance as part of Greater Manchester Citizens.
Since forming, the team have campaigned relentlessly, running a series of action events, conducting research into misogyny in Greater Manchester, meeting with decision makers and sharing experiences of harassment, violence and hate.
Not only was their campaigning instrumental to the Law Commission’s review of hate crime legislation last week, but in 2020, following a number of consultations, the campaign gained the backing of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has recorded misogyny hate crime as a key policy in the ‘The Greater Manchester Strategy to Tackle Violence Against Women and Girls’.
“We are absolutely thrilled that women have been listened to, and that misogynistic crimes will be recorded.” Jess Bostock said.
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“Women from Greater Manchester and The University of Manchester have been campaigning around these issues for years [as] recording misogynistic hate crimes is a simple, yet necessary, step to better understand and map women’s experiences and ultimately to tackle misogyny and male violence against women.
“By mapping every woman’s story or report of a hate incident, we can pre-empt patterns of abuse and redistribute funding to vital community services.
“Recording where men are committing violence against women is just the start and there is so much more to be done.”
Hundreds of Citizens leaders from across five cities met with the @Law_Commission throughout 2019, sharing stories of everyday harassment and violence. These stories directly impacted the Commission's recommendation in 2020 to recognise misogyny hate crime legislation. pic.twitter.com/WzQWwVrPNY
Sylvie Pope added: “I chose to study in Manchester because it was the Suffragette City.
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“At the beginning of this campaign, I sat in a boardroom across from Mayor Andy Burnham and told him my story of misogyny [and] I’m incredibly proud of the hundreds of women who have since joined our campaign across Manchester and bravely told their stories.
“It’s a relief to hear that we’ve finally been listened to, and that this law change will impact millions of women and girls in our city as well as across the country”.
‘Groundbreaking’ new police team launches on Bee Network to make it one of the safest in the world
Emily Sergeant
A ‘groundbreaking’ new policing model aimed at making the Bee Network one of the safest public transport networks in the world has launched.
Described as being ‘pioneering’, the first-of-its-kind approach – named the Transport Policing and Crime Command (TPACC) – will bring Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) even closer together to tackle crime, antisocial behaviour, and safety issues across the region’s transport network.
So, how will it work then? Well, according to TfGM, the command will ‘effectively establish’ the Bee Network as GMP’s eleventh policing district.
It will bring together up to 300 personnel, including new police officers, who are all involved in keeping the network safe and providing greater reassurance to passengers travelling across the region.
Efforts to keep passengers safe on buses, trams, active travel routes, and roads across Greater Manchester will be ‘strengthened’ through the new team – improving co-ordination in response to incidents, and helping to reassure communities.
A ‘groundbreaking’ new police team has launched on the Bee Network to make it one of the safest in the world / Credit: TfGM
The new team will also incorporate the existing Roads Policing Unit within GMP that includes specialist functions such as the Central Ticket Office, the Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit, the motorbike unit, the Commercial Vehicle Unit, the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, and more.
Overall, the key focus of TPACC is to:
Increase public confidence on safety across the transport network
Reduce violence, antisocial behaviour and criminality across the transport network
Increase the number of users of the Bee Network across Greater Manchester
The launch of TPACC is said to represents ‘the next phase’ of Greater Manchester’s commitment to creating a ‘safer, more secure, and more welcoming’ transport network for everyone who lives, works, and travels across the region.
“I want a world-class Bee Network where everyone feels safe,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“Our new dedicated transport policing command will bring together more than 300 police and safety officers, with high-profile patrols across our roads and the Bee Network. It means a stronger presence in our communities and faster action when people need help.
“TPACC will also crack down on dangerous driving to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, which have devastating consequences for families and communities.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Two arrested after assaulting and burgling 90-year-old woman in Stockport suburb
Emily Sergeant
Two people have been arrested following reports of an assault and burglary at a 90-year-old woman’s home in a Stockport suburb.
While en-route to the incident in Heald Green – which was reported to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at around 2:30am on 29 October – officers located the victim’s vehicle being driven by an unknown man.
The stolen vehicle made off from police before it lost control, went up a grass verge, and collided with a stationary vehicle.
Police confirmed that a white British man, aged 41, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of a burglary and serious assault, while a white British woman, aged 47, was also later arrested on suspicion of burglary and serious assault – with both remaining in custody for questioning.
The victim, a 90-year-old woman, was taken to hospital for treatment and is being supported by specialist officers, although luckily, her injuries are not life-threatening.
Enquiries are now ongoing, and officers are working to establish the full circumstances of the shocking incident.
“This was undoubtedly a traumatic experience for the victim, and we have specialist officers supporting her through this investigation,” explained Detective Inspector Craig Turner, from Stockport CID.
“This was a violent burglary and thanks to the brave victim reporting it, our officers made two swift arrests with the suspects taken into police custody to be interviewed.
“We believe this was a targeted attack and there is no wider risk to the community. Extra patrols of officers have been deployed to the area to offer reassurance to members of the community. Please let them know if you have any concerns.
“We are committed to tackling dangerous offenders and keeping our communities safe from harm.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd March 2021 
