'A woman’s freedom shouldn’t end when the sun goes down - why safety on the streets of Leeds is paramount'

For me I like to keep my house key in my pocket to hand - it sounds silly but it’s there so I’ve got it to hand.

I won’t speak on my phone at night and I certainly won’t have my headphones in. I want to hear what’s happening around me, or more specifically, who is around me.

I’ll always drop my husband a message before I set off to let him know I’m on my way and check in when I’ve reached my destination.

Sadly, I know what it’s like to have that heart wrenching moment when you’re walking along the street and you think someone is following you.

That zig-zag across the road to try and shake them off but they are still there.

The detours on different streets adding extra minutes to your journey just to check they’re not in tow.

And then the sheer relief knowing that person has gone in a different direction.

But this is the sad reality of being a woman. And I suspect I’m not alone.

It’s always this time of year that safety is put into an even greater focus as the clocks are turned back.

As the nights draw in and darkness bathes the streets it’s then when women and girls often report feeling vulnerable being in public spaces after dark.

And safety has been dominating the headlines this week with a man arrested in Leeds after three women were assaulted while walking through Woodhouse Moor.

It has led to calls for a greater police presence in the Hyde Park area and for lighting and CCTV in Woodhouse Moor as a way of deterring criminal activity.

It’s a sad indictment when one student told the YEP: “It’s awful that I can’t take the direct route home.”

Later this month, five Reclaim the Night events will be held across West Yorkshire - including here in Leeds on October 26.

There will be a series of speeches outside Leeds Art Gallery from 5.30pm and a walk through the city centre starting at 6pm.

This collective show of action aims to call for change and stand in solidarity against violence against women and girls.

Alison Lowe, West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, has said it’s a key priority to protect the safety of women.

She said the events will show “the power of partnership and collective action in challenging violence and building a region where everyone can feel safe, day or night.”

Women shouldn’t have to change their behaviour when they walk through the streets of Leeds at night.

Every woman deserves to walk home at night without fear. Not because she is brave, but because she is safe.

A woman’s freedom shouldn’t end when the sun goes down.