could I ask a foolish question, pliz? I have read (most of) said thread, and have never in my life been so baffled.
LOTM (and others) if your daughter - literal or metaphorical - were to call you at midnight and say, "What ho Mum, just walking home alone through an unlit passageway with a bit of a dodgy reputation, see you soooooon!" would you say, "Knock yerself out love, if you get mugged or rape it certainly won't be your fault!"
.
I assume (perhaps wrongly) that you would say something along the lines of "Gosh, you sure? There isn't a slightly safer route you could take?"
And by that same token, wouldn't an officer of the law whose sworn duty is to protect the public from harm be doubly obliged to offer the same advice?
Incidentally I asked my (copper) DH about this - a) they routinely tell solitary men late at night in ill-lit areas of dubious reputation to take care and b) I don't think I've ever seen someone so baffled as he was by the idea that saying the same thing to a woman might be the work of a sexist pig.