Sarah Everard’s death has sparked huge conversation about the safety of women and girls – of all ethnicities – in public spaces. It is clear more needs to be done to make sure women are, and feel, safe while walking alone.
In an ideal world we wouldn’t need these, but there are tools and gadgets available that can give you slightly more peace of mind. Whether you’re in danger, get lost, feel unwell or need to contact loved ones, these personal safety devices may help…
1. InvisaWear Gold Chain Necklace, £109 (€126.53), invisawear.com
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This 14K gold-plated necklace has a clever panic button hidden in its pendant that can be activated by pressing twice. It will then fire off a text to up to five friends or family members to let them know you need help.
The device includes your GPS coordinates, so your inner circle know where to find you. It works with a free app, where you can also set your smartphone to play an alarm to deter any attacker when you activate the pendant.
2. Saferrun Ripcord Siren Personal Alarm, £18.75, hardloop.co.uk
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If you’re someone who likes exercising outdoors, we recommend picking up one of these handy little alarms. It has a clip that attaches to your workout gear, so you don’t have to worry about it falling out of your pocket while on a run.
It’s simple to operate and has a tab that can be removed to emit an ear-piercing 120dB noise – the makers say that’s as loud as an ambulance siren. It’s also reusable, so you can test out removing the tab before you head outside.
3. Atomic Bear Swat Pen, £10.34, amazon.co.uk
To the untrained eye, it looks like a random ballpoint pen floating around in the bottom of your handbag, but the Swat pen does so much more than the average Biro.
If you find yourself locked in a compromised car, the glass-breaker head on this pen will enable you to break a car window in five seconds or less. Just one blow should be enough to shatter it, helping you get to safety. It’s also an actual pen too, so is a handy thing to carry around in your bag.
4. iPhone Emergency SOS feature
If you’re an iPhone user, you might want to take advantage of this in-built safety feature. You can press and hold the power and volume button on your iPhone for five seconds to call emergency services.
After the call has finished your emergency contacts (add in the Health app on your phone) will also be sent a text message including your current location – even if your location services are switched off.
5. WalkSafe app
Dubbed the app that “should not have to exist”, WalkSafe visualises crime reports which have been published by the police, so you can plan your route more safely and effectively.
Its HomeSafe function estimates how long it should take you to get somewhere (and alerts a loved one if your journey doesn’t go to plan), while TapSafe allows you to send a contact your location details.
