Can We Really Make Women Safer?London Is Investing Millions - While Thousands of Prisoners Are Being Released Early
London is investing millions to make public spaces safer for women and girls. At the same time, the prison system is under enormous pressure, thousands of prisoners are being released earlier than originally expected, and prison governors are warning that some released prisoners are returning to jail at a rapid rate.
So, what does keeping women safe actually mean?
And perhaps more importantly - how much of women's safety can we realistically leave to the systems around us?
London is spending millions on women's safety
On 4 September 2026, the Mayor of London announced a new £15.6 million programme designed to make public spaces across London safer for women and girls.
The funding is part of London's new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy for 2026–2029, backed by more than £37 million.
The programme will involve women and girls in identifying what makes public spaces feel unsafe and will fund practical changes including improved CCTV, layered lighting, clearer sightlines and redesigning parks, paths and other public areas to remove blind spots and hiding places.
This is important.
Because where women walk, wait, work, exercise, socialise and travel matters.
A poorly lit pathway feels different from a well-lit one.
A deserted station platform feels different from a busy one.
A route with clear visibility feels different from one with hidden corners and blind spots.
The environment can influence how safe we are, and how safe we feel.
But is changing the environment enough?
At the same time, the prison system is under pressure
The UK's prison system is facing a serious capacity problem.
New early-release measures are being introduced as the Government tries to deal with overcrowding, with another wave of releases expected to begin in October.
The rules around early release contain exclusions for some of the most serious offences. AND despite the fact that people released on licence can also be subject to conditions, supervision and recall...
There comes another worrying headline
On 30 August, the BBC reported that prison governors were seeing prisoners released early under the previous scheme returning to prison at a rapid rate.
Governors described a system that can feel like a “revolving door”, with people returning because they have reoffended or breached the conditions of their release.
There is an important distinction here.
Being recalled to prison does not necessarily mean someone has committed another crime.
A person can be recalled for breaching their licence conditions or because their risk is judged to have increased.
In the year to March 2026, more than 51,000 licence recalls were recorded -- a 28% increase on the previous year.
It doesn't mean every person recalled represents a danger to women, but it tells us something important:
The criminal justice system itself is under significant pressure.
And that brings us back to the question of women's safety.
Who is responsible for keeping women safe?
The obvious answer should be:
Everyone.
The person committing violence is responsible for their actions.
The police have a responsibility to investigate crime.
The justice system has a responsibility to prosecute and appropriately sentence offenders.
Prisons have a responsibility to protect the public while supporting rehabilitation.
Probation has a responsibility to manage risk.
Local authorities have a responsibility to create safer environments.
Transport providers have a responsibility to make journeys safer.
And society has a responsibility to challenge the attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence against women and girls.
None of that should be controversial.
But there is another piece of the puzzle that unfortunatelly women need to now deal with...
Personal preparedness.
Women cannot control how many prison places are available.
They cannot control sentencing policy.
They cannot control whether someone else decides to harass, follow, threaten or attack them.
They cannot control whether a particular street has adequate lighting.
And they cannot control how quickly help will arrive.
But there are things women can control.
Not everything.
Not perfectly.
But enough to make a meaningful difference.
Self-defence starts before the fight
When people hear the words self-defence, they often picture physical techniques.
Punches.
Kicks.
Escapes.
Fighting.
But physical confrontation is often the very last part of self-defence.
Long before that, there is:
Awareness.
Noticing what is happening around you.
Recognition.
Identifying when someone's behaviour is becoming concerning.
Boundaries.
Knowing how to communicate that something isn't acceptable.
Positioning.
Understanding distance, exits and your surroundings.
Decision-making.
Knowing when to leave, when to seek help and when not to engage.
De-escalation.
Understanding how to avoid turning an uncomfortable situation into a dangerous one.
And, if physical violence becomes unavoidable:
Having realistic skills that can help you create an opportunity to escape.
That is self-defence too.
You shouldn't have to live in fear
There is an important line that needs to be drawn here.
Talking about women's personal safety should never become a list of things women must stop doing.
Don't walk home.
Don't go out alone.
Don't wear headphones.
Don't drink.
Don't take shortcuts.
Don't use your phone.
Don't trust strangers.
Don't stay out late.
Don't wear this.
Don't go there.
Don't.
Don't.
Don't.
Eventually, the message becomes:
“If something happens to you, you should have known better.”
That is not acceptable.
Women are not responsible for preventing someone else from committing violence against them.
And learning self-defence does not change that.
Safer environments and personal safety skills belong together
This is why I believe the current conversation needs to be broader.
We absolutely should invest in safer streets.
We should improve lighting.
We should remove blind spots.
We should make transport safer.
We should listen to women about where they feel vulnerable.
We should challenge harassment.
We should have effective policing.
We should have a criminal justice system that protects the public and supports genuine rehabilitation.
And we should invest in prevention.
But personal safety skills should not be treated as the opposite of those things.
They complement them.
A woman can want safer streets and learn how to recognise potentially concerning behaviour.
She can expect the police to protect her and know what to do while waiting for help.
She can believe that men should not harass women and learn how to establish a boundary when someone does.
She can support rehabilitation and believe that dangerous behaviour needs to have consequences.
These aren't contradictory positions.
The goal isn't fear. It's options.
This is the part of the conversation about self-defence that matters most to me.
I don't want women walking around London believing that everyone is a potential attacker.
I don't want women changing their lives because they are frightened.
I don't want women blaming themselves for someone else's behaviour.
I want women to have options.
The option to recognise a situation early.
The option to trust their instincts.
The option to leave.
The option to say no.
The option to create distance.
The option to ask for help.
And, if everything else fails, the option to physically protect themselves and create a chance to get away.
Because confidence isn't about believing that nothing bad will ever happen.
Confidence is knowing that you have skills and choices if something does.
So, can we really make women safer?
Yes.
But there isn't one answer.
Safer streets matter.
Better policing matters.
Effective justice matters.
Rehabilitation matters.
Accountability matters.
Prevention matters.
And personal preparedness matters too.
London's £15.6 million investment is a positive step towards making the places women use every day safer by design.
But safer infrastructure cannot teach you what to do when someone follows you.
A CCTV camera cannot make a decision for you.
A brighter street cannot establish your boundaries.
And a safer city strategy cannot give you physical skills.
Those are different pieces of the same puzzle.
Women deserve all of them.
We shouldn't have to choose between demanding a safer society and learning how to protect ourselves.
We should demand both.
Because the ultimate goal of self-defence isn't to teach women to live in fear.
It's to give women more confidence, more control and more choices.
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