THOUSANDS of personal alarms have been funded for women in Shropshire by the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, aimed at increasing personal safety and confidence in public areas.

From food shows to folk festivals, fresher's fairs to pubs and clubs, PCC John Campion's team, together with West Mercia Police local policing teams, have been distributing the alarms across the county.

The alarms are one of the Mr Campion's ongoing commitments to increasing safety on the streets and tackling violence against women.

It comes after the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabine Nessa.

In the wake of the killing of Sarah, vigils were held in cities across the UK both in her memory and as protests highlighting the measures that women are forced to take to try to keep themselves safe.

Meanwhile hundreds of mourners also recently gathered for an emotional candlelit vigil in memory of the "amazing, caring, beautiful" primary school teacher Sabina, as the police hunt for her killer entered its second week.

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Mr Campion said: "I want to build communities which are safe, but also feel safe.

"By providing these alarms for free, it is just one small element of providing reassurance to those who are potentially vulnerable.

"We still have a long way to go, to shift the culture in our society so women and girls can always feel safe.

"We must keep the focus on unacceptable perpetrator behaviour.

"As commissioner I am committed to playing my part and I believe this investment is one further small step to making our communities safer."