Safety courses aimed at keeping Ongar and North Weald women and schoolchildren safe on the streets have been hailed a huge success by the police and participants.

The courses, held at North Weald and three other locations across the district, were the brainchild of the Epping Forest Crime Reduction Partnership and focused on conflict resolution and the fear of being a victim of violent crime.

Over the past two weeks a total of 131 women attended a two-hour evening class run by police experts in the fields of conflict resolution and defensive skills.

Women were shown how to avoid and deal with conflict and given a demonstration of techniques that can be used to ward off an attacker. For more information call Crime Reduction Officer Tony Ellis on 01279 625525.

Published Tuesday December 16, 2003

Brought to you by the Brentwood Gazette