Making the Streets Safe for Women

The Take Back the Night campaign deals with a serious issue: violence against women. Women have a right to feel safe walking neighbourhood streets at night. Many years ago I told people of a proposal for providing women with a safer environment. The technology for doing it was just around the corner, but now it’s here. What do you think of this idea?

What if a woman had a radio transmitter, perhaps like the communicator the Star Trek people wear on their chests. They tap it: “Enterprise, Riker here.” Presumably their communication is broadcast by a radio signal. Imagine a woman walking along the street. A suspicious man approaches. She taps her communicator “6 ft 2 or 3. Black hair. Red jacket, black pants, beard.” The signal goes out and is recorded somewhere. Later, the woman is found dead by the side of the road. The police, with a warrant, listen to the tapes, recognise the woman’s voice (or, better, the signal carries an identity code with it), and have a description of the suspect. Future women benefit when he is arrested, albeit not our victim.

Now imagine that many women have these devices. The man might think twice, not knowing if his description has already gone out. Now all women are safer.

I expect there would have to be many different channels and recording tapes running. Perhaps cellular telephone technology is needed so that a suitable channel is instantly assigned. Possibly the messages would stay for, say, 3 days and then be erased.

The company providing this service needs a way of making money. The service could be provided for a monthly user fee. Perhaps by paying a fee the user could receive a record of the message. That way two people could conclude a verbal agreement and, on the handshake, each tap their communicator and record their acceptance of the other’s terms. The agreement would be enforceable because each would conclude that the other has the permanent record of their vocal agreement.

Some communicators could be voice activated, for example when “Help” is shouted. Each could have GPS so that location is transmitted along with the identity of the wearer.

Of course there are privacy issues. Should each set make a small beep warning people around it that what they are saying is being recorded and transmitted?

But what do you think of the idea, though. It strikes me that widespread available and use of this service just could make the streets safer for everyone.