10 Oct Angela – protecting customers if their night out goes “off the rails”.
Sydney venues are trialing a new campaign to provide greater protection for customers feeling intimidated or threatened especially by predatory behavior.
Ask for Angela is an initiative introduced by NSW Police aimed at providing greater protection for customers who feel vulnerable due to behaviour that is intimidating, threatening or predatory. Sydney venues – pubs, clubs, nightclubs etc – are the focus for this campaign which has already shown success in regional NSW and overseas. The campaign has been launched in partnership with the Australian Hotels Association (AHA).
Given that many social connections are iniitally instigated online or through mobile apps, it is not surprising that sometimes the first “face to face” connection is disappointing on some level. On some occasions “disappointment” can be much more serious and situation becomes one where a cusomer can feel vulnerable or threatened and in need of a “safe exit”.
It is precisely this situation that “Ask for Angela” seeks to address. By asking venue staff for Angela, customers are signalling they are in an undesirable situation and they need a way out. This sets in train a process for assessing the extent of risk and what action should be taken to secure the peace of mind and safety of the customer.
The following video demonstrates the type of scenario for which “Ask for Angela” may be necessary.
Ask for Angela from Exact Security on Vimeo.
Resources – posters & coasters – for Ask for Angela are available. Here are links to them:
Ask for Angela -Generic Poster