In a week when there continues to be a national focus on the safety of women following the alleged murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in the UK, Caroline Maffia, strategic lead for contact tracing, monitoring and enforcement, said she was particularly disappointed at such behaviour from a ‘small minority of customers’.
She called on Islanders to show respect to the team, members of which are supporting the Island’s reconnection strategy.
‘They are here to help you enjoy the freedoms that are now returning. And those who think it is acceptable to behave this way, shame on you,’ she said.
The team, which is working with businesses to help them comply with guidance, has now stopped wearing tabards with ‘Covid Support’ emblazoned on the back during their evening visits to avoid being so visible to those who may target them.
Team members have also been given training about how to recognise the signs of potentially difficult situations, and about personal safety and the steps they can take to remove themselves from such situations.
Staff have been told that they do not need to carry out evening checks if they do not feel comfortable.
Ms Maffia said: ‘The work we have been doing is to help businesses stay open and from a business perspective we have been massively appreciated and welcomed with open arms – there have not been any concerns from that side of it. It is people getting drunk and lairy.’
She said that her team typically visited restaurants and bars in the early evening and avoided later calls when people were likely to have drunk more.
However, even using that precaution there have still been a number of incidents in which the team have been mocked and subjected to abusive language. And Ms Maffia said that while current restrictions meant alcohol could only be enjoyed with a meal, she explained that she had seen receipts to show that many were bending the rules to get drunk, for example by ordering excessive rounds of shots while eating.
Although both male and female officers had been targeted, she said it was the women who were often subjected to more sexualised comments. ‘It is not gender specific in terms of taking the mick out of the team, it is how they do it,’ she said. ‘I guess it is more sexualised when you have got cat calling compared to men ganging up and being threatening.
‘I have made it very clear to the team that I am disgusted with this kind of behaviour. It is unpleasant and it is annoying as well; at the very least you come away unimpressed with the situation.
‘But it does get your adrenaline running and you do come away shaking and it is not a nice experience.’
She added: ‘It has been from the small minority of customers. By far the vast majority of people are trying to do things properly. It is a case of trying to make sure that the small minority don’t mess it up for the rest of us.’
A female team member speaks about her experiences as a member of the Covid Safe Team in town:
‘While out on visits we became very aware of the additional attention that we received from members of the public while wearing the Covid Support tabards.
‘This got increasingly more intimidating for us as women when we received wolf whistles, inappropriate comments and laughing directed at us. The attention we got for being women suddenly became different to the experiences of our male team members.
‘I’m sure some people reading this would think, “we need to grow a thicker skin”, or “this is just what happens” but we live in a time where women should be able to share their experiences and not be blamed or made to change our behaviour.
‘With the recent statistics in the media revealing that 97% of women have experienced sexual harassment, I think this behaviour has been normalised in society and is something lots of women just accept.
‘By sharing our experiences, we want to encourage women to report these issues, whether they happen within the workplace or otherwise, so we can raise awareness of this common problem and hopefully reduce it in the future.’
