Local Pub Staff Being Trained to Spot Customers in Danger


Taking part in the 'Ask for Angela' scheme

The George IV in Chiswick is one of the pubs participating in the scheme
The George IV in Chiswick is one of the pubs participating in the scheme

December 12, 2023

Staff from a number of pubs in the area have been taking part in a scheme to train those in the hospitality industry to spot if a customer is in need of help.

“Ask for Angela” is a national scheme that aims to help anyone who is feeling vulnerable on a night out to get the support they need. Training provided under the programme teaches bar staff and other workers how to help someone who is feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable.

All pub-goers who are feeling uneasy have to do is go to the bar and ask for Angela and the newly-trained staff will be able to help. It could be helping them to find their friends, getting them safely to a taxi or, in more serious circumstances, alerting security staff or the police.

Earlier this month employees of 13 pubs and bars in the borough of Hounslow took part in sessions run by the police including those from the The George IV and Rowans Bar in Chiswick, The Brewery Tap and The Inverness Social Club in Brentford and The Milford Arms in Isleworth

More training for hospitality staff will be rolled out again in the new year.

Councillor Ajmer Grewal, Cabinet Member for Safety and Regulatory services, said: “It is great to see so many pubs in the borough taking the training to become safer environments in our night-time economy. The Ask for Angela scheme is a fantastic way for customers to discretely indicate that they are in distress and to receive the help they need without issue.”

More information about the national ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme can be found here:
Ask for Angela | Metropolitan Police

 

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