Jess Phillips tore into the Government’s new proposal for protecting women in bars and clubs today, describing it as police officers “in skinny jeans”.
The shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding questioned No10’s plan to send undercover police officers to patrol clubs and bars in the wake of Sarah Everard’s death.
It comes after Downing Street announced a series of measures to try and protect women and girls in the wake of Ms Everard’s disappearance and the scenes at her vigil in Clapham.
They include better street lighting, CCTV cameras and sending undercover police officers to bars and clubs.
Ms Phillips said she would be “delighted” to see better lighting and CCTV but said she did not think the initiatives would make “any dent” in the issue.
The Labour MP told Times Radio: “What is being put before us today is police officers in bars. For a start, for this to be effective, it’s going to have to have a huge amount of undercover police officers in skinny jeans in bars who are then going to inform.
“Maybe I just don’t understand it – and let’s hope in the detail it gets better. They’re going to inform uniformed officers.
“Why can’t women inform uniformed officers and be believed if they are being harassed?
“What are they going to do because there isn’t currently a law that stops us being harassed in the public realm?”
She went on to call for a street harassment law that goes into the policing bill going through parliament.
The new measures were announced after a meeting of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce chaired by the Prime Minister.
Under the plan, they will roll-out pilots where uniformed and plain clothes officers seek to actively identify predatory and suspicious offenders in the night time economy.
Dubbed ‘Project Vigilant’, the programme may involve officers attending areas around clubs and bars undercover, along with increased police patrols as people leave at closing time.
Boris Johnson said last night: “The horrific case of Sarah Everard has unleashed a wave of feeling about women not feeling safe at night.
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“We must do everything we can to ensure our streets are safe, and we are bringing in landmark legislation to toughen sentences and put more police on the streets.
“We are also now taking further steps to provide greater reassurance, such as providing better lighting and greater use of CCTV in parks and routes women may take on their walks home.
“Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.”
