Yet another rapist and yet another 'women should stay inside' response.

[Mytwopenceworth]

so so

Just caught a news report about a rapist on the prowl, and the official advice is for women to not go out alone after, think it was 9pm (was listening from kitchen, so didn't catch it all).

That makes me so bloody angry. Yet another sick f*ckwit and women are supposed to cower in their homes, or go out escorted!! Bloody male police who think this is the best course of action! Put a bloody curfew on men, not women. Why is it every time they say women should be restricted in this way? Get police on the street and arrest any man out after 8pm without aproval and escort him home. THAT'S what they should stuffing well do.

And I know, the rapist will just hide and go out anyway and women have to be responsible for their own safety and a million more justifications and I suppose they're true and maybe sensible, but it still makes me feel angry that men commit these crimes but its women who have to alter their lives. Yet more power to the rapists. x a million!!!! - I wish there was a steam coming out of ears emoticon!

[paolosgirl]

LOL!!!

[QueenOfQuotes]

" its wrong that the emphasis seems to be on dont go out (alone) rather than on catch the bastard. "

But that's NOT the emphasis - that's the tiny bit of the BIG press release the police gave which the media have "played" (obviously with the desired effect given this thread .

Most of the press release is made up of descriptions of the people they're trying to catch, what the police are doing to try and make the town centre safer until they're found and what the public can do to try and help the police catch them.

[Mytwopenceworth]

Thank you QoQ. Pull me back from the deep end!

[QueenOfQuotes]

[Caligula]

I think Mytwopenceworth's post of 7.05 summed it up perfectly. Of course none of us are so daft that we wander around town drunk and half naked at midnight. But the original point of this thread is that women are given advice which no other group is given - black people/ Muslims/ Asians are not told that certain times of the day or areas of the city are no-go areas for them. And it's no good saying "it's just advice you can take it or leave it" - the point is that it's advice which is only ever given to women. Hercules, your DH takes sensible precautions - but how would he feel if the police were telling him that he shouldn't go into a certain area of town at a certain time of night because of his skin colour? He may not intend to go there anyway, but would he really think it was OK that the police were taking the stance that he's the one who has got to restrict his movements? The fact is, I don't think the police would dare to give such advice to any other group in society except women. I can't think of a single case where any other group has received such advice - does anyone know of any? (I now await 100 posts with examples! )

[hercules]

Again, the police are not telling anyone not to go anywhere. They are advising women to try not to go to this area at night alone.

I have already given an example of where men were told to avoid the tube on their own during a series of male rapes.

[hercules]

If asian men were being attacked by someone in a specific area at a specific time I cant see anything wrong with asian men being advised to take care that time and in that area.

Someone said 3 of these victims were teenagers. See my earlier post about police advising children.

[Caligula]

I also can't see anything wrong with Asian men being told to take care, be cautious etc. - but to be told not to go there at all on their own? Do you really think they would give that advice?

And with the student thing, they're always giving advice to students not to leave campus, to be cautious etc., because students are always a target for attacks, for some reason. I'm sure they've been doing this for at least 20 or 30 years - I remember having 2 police warnings about students being cautious when I was at university. But students are a distinct target group (though how, nowadays, I have no idea) whereas they didn't advise all men in the area to be careful on the tube did they - just the young student ones (or did the warning encompass the rest of the male population as well)?

[hercules]

The advice is not not to go out though. It's to take care and try not to be on your own.

The advice given out at that time was not only to male students but leaflets were also given out on the tubes as well. It was to men in general. I guess as my uni was central london there were a lot of males using the tube.

[hercules]

I honestly cant see what is offensive about this.

Here's the exact advice the police are giving (taken from the Northans Police website)

Message of Reassurance

While we do not want to cause any unnecessary fear or panic, there are a number of messages and appeals we would like to make:

• We are asking all females, wherever possible, to avoid being out alone at night or in the early hours of the morning
  
  
• Use your commonsense to keep yourself safe ? plan your evening out, including organizing any transport arrangements, in advance, and avoid engaging in conversation with strangers

[WideWebWitch]

Completely agree with Caligula, good posts.

[hercules]

and they are only being advised about a particular area where the rapist has been attacking.

[pacinofan]

The advice from the police is perfectly sound and should be taken seriously. Actually, it's advice I follow anyway, regardless of where I live, and I would never go out alone at night anyway unless using a pre-booked taxi say. Yes, women do have to alter their lives if they want to stay safe but the alternative is too awful to contemplate.

The police are doing their job by giving this advice, it would be stupid to court danger by not heeding it. They need all the help they can get to catch these criminals.

[monkeytrousers]

Serpico would be proud PF

[pacinofan]

Nice one monkeytrousers! That made me chuckle!

[Raspberry]

just an innocent enquiry:

why do we get so hung up about rape anyway? (taking rape in a relationship aside) rape by stranger is rare, and FAR MORE likely to happen to a young man, than a woman, I understand, so what is it about it that gets everyone so wound up?

we get less outraged about millions of people starving to death in Africa, so don't we get rape out of proportion?

(I'm not directing this to rape victims, obviously it is a huge deal to them )

[Caligula]

Rape is far more likely to happen to a young man? Eh? Or do you mean rape by a stranger, Raspberry?

[Raspberry]

yes, Caligula

[astonished]

I cannot beleive what i have read on this thread, what is wrong with issuing advice???
I live in Northampton and will 100% not be out on my own after dark, common sense really but to advise it makes women in northampton realise how serious this situation is. I spoke to a Police officer in the town centre yesterday who was out talking towomen to reassure them but also to make them realise there is a VERY REAL threat of repeat attacks until this GANG is caught.
Whjat is it everyone wants the police to do??
Imposing a curfew on men would be impossible as contrary to what QOQ says many men do work in the town centre at night, my dp being one of them working a night shift at a well known brewery about 1/2 a mile from where 2 attacks tookplace. what we gonna do , tell him he can't go to work tonight?? have some of you completely lost the plot?? We are not telling women to stay in, just to be cauitious, and that is not the Police's fault it is the attackers, and until they are caught NOBODY should have a problem with trying to eep safe, we should as women be doing this anyway.

[astonished]

And one more thing, if the emphasis is not on catching the perpertrators why have they trebeled their task force on this to 1,000 officers?? Whilst they are trying to find these men, surely it is sensible in tandem to have a high police presence to reassure the public, the police can't bloody win.

[QueenOfQuotes]

"Imposing a curfew on men would be impossible as contrary to what QOQ says many men do work in the town centre at night,"

I didn't say men didn't work in the town centre, I said very few night shift jobs in Northampton Town centre would involve leaving work between midnight and 3am (unless it was bar staff).Generaly a night shift finishes much later/earlier(?) in the morning.

[astonished]

Aghhhhhhh this has really got me, unfortunately whilst it would be nice if we could all walk the streets safely, this is not an ideal world, and what do we do, fly in the face of advice just to prove a point?? this is the world we live in, yes its shit, but for our own safety at present what choice do we have than to be sensible, not really that big of an ask really now is it?

[astonished]

Yes but they do have breaks where they are able to go out, many workers do finish night shifts at flexible times, particularly during the summer holidays, on sat night my dp is finishing at 1 so we can go away on sunday.

[QueenOfQuotes]

hope that last comment wasn't directed a me




And on a slight hi-jack note - if you live in Northampton why haven't you replied to any of my threads trying to get a meet up with people in northants

[Raspberry]

just to further clarify my point:

astonished, being a potential victim of a know gang of beasts, has every right to be hung up, yet ironically she isn't

she sounds mature and sensible , suggesting the police are doing what they can and their advice is correct, shouldn't more of us feel like that?