Staff had no clue, says pub worker | Global News Avenue

An undercover BBC investigation has found more than half of participating venues failed to respond appropriately, with one pub worker warning that failures in the Seeking Angela safety scheme are putting vulnerable women at risk middle.

this Request Angela Initiativeis a program operating in thousands of venues across the country to provide a discreet lifeline to those who believe they are at risk.

A pub employee, known only to the BBC as “Jack”, worked at three different venues from 2018 to 2024, running the scheme. He told the BBC about implementation failures.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the BBC’s findings “shocking and unacceptable” and a government spokesman said they were “deeply concerning”.

The scheme enables people to signal for help in pubs using the code word “Angela”.

Although it is primarily aimed at women, it can be used by anyone who feels unsafe in participating institutions.

Jack said that while venues initially introduce Seeking Angela to employees when posters are put up, the training is not typically passed on to new employees.

“I found they would put up posters and things like that, but there wasn’t really enough training for the different scenarios that could happen,” he told BBC London.

“Some people don’t even know we’re running it, so if someone asks about Angela, then they won’t really know what’s going on.”

Jack said a lack of ongoing training puts vulnerable women at risk.

“If something seems funny, it could lead to bigger problems,” he said.

“When a woman spends an extended period of time questioning staff at a bar, it may put her in a more vulnerable position if her abuser makes her feel uncomfortable.”

He said he believed many venues were “just ticking boxes” rather than taking their responsibilities seriously.

“It’s kind of futile and pointless,” he added.

British Broadcasting Corporation 25 pubs, bars and clubs secretly documented exist London Actively promote their participation in the Seeking Angela initiative, including branches of major pub chains as well as independent venues.

In total, 13 of the 25 venues visited failed to respond appropriately to Angela Code.

Similar failures have been reported in other parts of the UK.

Greene King said he was concerned about the BBC’s findings and pledged to review how the plan was communicated to his team.

JD Wetherspoon said it had successfully dealt with a number of examples of customers who had fallen on hard times using the scheme, but would provide additional training if necessary.

The BBC repeatedly requested an interview with female minister Jesse Phillips to discuss the findings, but her office declined.

A government spokesman said the findings were “deeply concerning” but noted that Seeking Angela “is not a government-led programme”.

Police, local councils and the London Mayor’s office spent hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money promoting the Find Angela campaign.

Westminster City Council uses participation as a key factor when deciding to issue liquor licenses.

Sylvia Oates, director of Ask for Angela, said it was “really concerning” that the scheme was not successful in venues where it was promoted.

The program is named after Angela Crompton, who was murdered by her husband.

The security initiative has spread to countries around the world, including Canada and the Netherlands.