Ask for Angela

[Sparkybloke]

Just seen the One Show. Great piece on a new scheme for women (and men) at parties/dates/clubs over Xmas and beyond. At participating venues if you feel uncomfortable for any reason go to the bar and "ask for Angela" . Code word to the staff who will provide you with a safe space and if needed a discrete exit to a taxi or just out. Seems a good idea....hopefully all bars and clubs etc will get on board...

Been advertised in our local papers here.

In Leeds it's on the back of the toilet doors in the bars. I've used it it worked well. A member of staff just came and took me to one side and asked if I was okay

What a great idea. Does anyone have a link to an advertisement for this to help spread the word?

I love this. The more publicity the better.

I like the concept but my name is Angela so I wish it was another name. Oh well. I'm to old for bars anyway.

It's good but as well known hardly secret covert code could get people into trouble

Ask for Angela Hernandez would be even better.

Brilliant idea, I hope that this becomes well known.

@Cantuccit

I rec'd an email about this and forwarded it onto the front of house manager at work. ( regional fairly big entertainment venue. ) they had never heard of the idea so, definitely worth spreading the word. If t helps one person then brilliant !

You can FB or Twitter share here: www.met.police.uk/askforangela

Hasn't this been going for ages? It's certainly been on the back of pub toilet doors here and I've seen behind the bar too.

Mind you, more publicity and awareness is fantastic. It's a great initiative.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has actually had to ask for Angela, and how good the staff were.

Please don't flame me if I've missed something (it's late) but if this becomes widely known, then won't harassers/potential harassers be equally aware of it, so 'asking for Angela' at the bar will be no less obvious than asking for help in an outright way?

If, on the other hand, the idea is that you get away from your harasser to speak to bar staff, is there any need for it to be in code in the first place?

That is just what I was thinking.

@screamingvalenta I agree. I've been in bars where on the back of toilet doors there's codes ranging from 'help me leave' to 'call the police' disguised as different shots/drink orders. Very clever and much more subtle.

Yes, @Bobbiepin - that sounds a much better approach. The codes could easily be changed from time to time if they were unique to an individual pub, and they could ensure staff were trained to know the codes. As long as they could word it so that no genuine order could be mistaken for a help-plea, I think that would work really well.

@bobbiepin
I totally agree....if you are at a bar and ask for Angela when on a date or something, it would be a bit odd and the man (or woman) would have to be a little thick, or very drunk not to catch on.
I think it would be odd to go up to a bar and say "Angela" or something as well.
Isnt It better to make it seem like a particular drink like I will have a shot of "pink goblin" (an example) please.... just seems more discreet and less obvious to me

I love this. The more publicity the better.

Well not really because of course men also watch the One show. I like the PP's idea of using drink orders.

The best idea would be to sneak off to the toilet and ask for help.

Or....
Would some sort of coloured cards in a box in the women's and men's loos work?
That way, the person being harrassed could just nip to the loo, collect a card and hand the card over to a member of staff without having to say anything or draw attention to themselves.

Ask for Angela Hernandez would be even better Awwww

Wingedharpy A good idea in theory, but I could imagine drunk idiots throwing cards all over the place 'for a laugh' .

Or just shout 'fuck off, you cunt' loudly. I get it, I do, but harassment doesn't need to be cloaked in surreptitious & shrouded secrecy.