Decades after Suzy Lamplugh, is London doing enough to protect women and girls?

23 April 2025, 08:12

I am old enough to remember the disappearance of estate agent, Suzy Lamplugh, when she went to show a prospective buyer a property she was selling.

Her body has never been found and no one held accountable for her disappearance.

Her parents later set up The Suzy Lamplugh Trust which campaigns to reduce the risk of violence and aggression and undertakes a wide range of training programmes to educate people on personal safety.

Following what the Trust describes an unprecedented demand, it is running a 30-minute online session, Stand Up Against Street Harassment, from 12 noon on Tuesday 29 April.

When I saw the session promoted it struck me that nearly 40 years on from Suzy’s disappearance women and girls still experience unwanted aggression and harassment in their daily lives.

According to statistics highlighted by the Trust, 80% of women in the UK have reported experiencing harassment in public spaces.

I have experienced it and now as a mother of two daughters, I want more to be done to create a safe environment for all women and girls.

This year the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-25 draws to a close. It has included the Have a Word campaign, encouraging men to call out misogynist behaviour.

It also launched a £1m education toolkit for schools to address sexism and promote health relationships. Laudable but has it made a difference?

The facts show there is more to be done.

According to figures from the Metropolitan Police reported sexual offences increased by 7.4% in the 12 months up to the end of January 2025, compared to the previous 12 months.

Janaya Walker at the End Violence Against Women coalition recently told the London Assembly that "It's quite difficult to conclude whether things are getting better or things are getting worse because the data is quite poor."

Sir Sadiq needs to keep focussed on a zero-tolerance stance on VAWG.

The training session is open to everyone. Details can be found here

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Cllr Caroline Sargent is the Deputy Leader of the opposition Conservative Group at Westminster City Council.

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