Ask for Angela scheme found ‘wanting’ in undercover tests

A Government minister said she found responses to the Ask for Angela safety scheme “wanting” after going undercover at venues across the UK to test the programme.

The scheme was introduced in 2016 in an effort to provide an avenue for support for anyone who is feeling vulnerable or unsafe in a public space.

Someone in need of help can approach staff at a participating venue and use the code word Angela to ask for help, with staff trained in vulnerability management and how to discreetly provide support.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said she routinely went undercover to test the scheme covertly and determined the responses she received to be entirely unsatisfactory.

She told the BBC: “I have tested the Ask for Angela system a number of times, not just in London, but around the country and where I see it.

“And I have to say, I have always found the response wanting.”

Ms Phillips said she continued the ruse until she became too well-known to continue the covert checks.

Her comments come after a BBC investigation found a majority of participating venues failed to implement the scheme properly.

The broadcaster said 25 London venues were tested by two BBC researchers posing as a couple on a date, with a female researcher approaching bar staff appearing distressed and asking for Angela, with staff at more than half of the venues completely unaware of what the codeword meant.

Similar reports were received from around the UK, the BBC said.

Ms Phillips said safety schemes were “meaningless” without better training.

“None of these schemes are ever fit for purpose if they are not trained properly,” she told the BBC.

“New laws, things written down on fancy scrolls that sit in the basement of the House of Commons… that’s meaningless if you don’t implement things properly on the ground.”

Last month, the Government unveiled plans to train thousands of bar staff to deal with incidents of spiking.