VPD hosting personal safety workshop in December
The two-hour workshop will be at Mount Pleasant Community Centre and women over 16 can attend
The VPD's next personal safety workshop for women is on Dec. 16 at Mount Pleasant Community Centre. (Submitted)
On Dec.16, the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) women’s personal safety team will hold a personal safety workshop that teaches women how to protect themselves.
A group of VPD female officers created the women’s personal safety team in 2013, with the purpose of teaching and preparing women to “take ownership of their personal safety,” according to their website.
This was a way for them to give back to the community and bring more awareness to women’s safety, Constable Tania Visintin, media relations officer at the VPD says.
“We as women, we’re very cognizant about certain things — our size, our strength. But this group of women, when taking these workshops, they really do empower and educate women that it doesn’t matter your size, or how strong you are, you can still be empowered and strong in your own way,” she says.
A Statistics Canada report on police-reported crime statistics in Canada from last year, cites a General Social Survey (GSS) which shows there is a higher chance for women to be a victim of violence.
A report from the VPD listing the reported crimes in various Vancouver neighbourhoods shows there were 4,608 reports for assaults in Vancouver last year.
Visintin says there have been strays of assaults in Vancouver, and many people, women in particular, are becoming more afraid to go out. The personal safety workshops are designed to help give women more confidence.
“That’s not a way to live. So taking these courses, learning from these experienced police officers really will help give women the confidence,” she says.
Visintin says being aware of your surroundings, knowing your location every time, and listening to your gut are some of the steps a person can take for their personal safety.
“That feeling inside of you that kind of says that something isn’t right. Always trust that feeling.”
During pandemic lockdowns and restrictions the workshops were held over Zoom, but have moved in-person this fall.
Visintin says it’s better to have the workshops in-person because attendees can have hands-on experience on how to protect themselves and can also get a better understanding of the workshop.
When taking these workshops, Visintin wants women to be able to live their daily lives with more confidence and be able to use self-defence techniques if a worst case scenario were to happen.
Visintin wants people to know that the VPD’s website provides personal safety tips for different types of issues like bullying, identity theft, dating online, home security, and bike theft.
“Education is definitely the best type of prevention for most crimes,” she says. “[These workshops] really inspire women to take ownership of their own personal safety. It really gives them the confidence to not be so afraid.”
This year, workshops have been held in April, May, June, October, and November, and the next one will be on Dec. 16 at 6:00 pm at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre. The minimum age for attendance is 16 years old.
