Alison Hernandez: Why Queen Camilla is interested in new scheme to keep women safe

It is now eight months since I hosted a ground-breaking disruptive ideas workshop that brought together around 100 frontline professionals in one room with a shared passion for combating violence against women and girls.

Since then, my office has been working with partners to narrow down the best projects that will each create the biggest changes and deliver long-lasting impact in not just Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, but hopefully nationwide too. 

To achieve that, my office is helping to fund innovative ideas that cover a broad spectrum across the VAWG sphere, including victims, perpetrators, potential offenders and bystanders. 

The common theme uniting them all is that we need to stop expecting women and girls to carry the burden of making them feel they are the ones who have to change their behaviour to stay safe. 

Everyone in society has a vital role to play in tackling VAWG. It’s high time men and boys stepped forward to become part of the solution and bring about long-term cultural change. That is why my office is funding £50,000, match funded by Devon & Cornwall Police through money seized from the Tate brothers, to launch a pilot called Cornwall Male Ally Network which has already sparked initial interest from Queen Camilla during a recent visit to St Austell. 

Although in its very early infancy, the cross-sector collaborative initiative aims to work directly within communities, including sports clubs, music spaces, and social environments, to support positive male role models, challenge harmful behaviours, and create safer environments for women and girls. 

If successful, it is hoped the network will then expand into Devon and other regions leaving a lasting legacy of some of the great things achieved by Police and Crime Commissioners. 

In the meantime, our disruptive VAWG work is fast gaining momentum. Projects include: 

• Essential stalking training – OPCC grant funding from the Ministry of Justice to provide training frontline professionals to help identify and respond to evidence of stalking 

• Improving criminal justice experience of victims and witnesses - First-of-its kind Criminal Justice and You multimedia resource created by the OPCC. Recently included delivering a one-hour justice takeover slot at the West Country Women’s International Women’s Day Plymouth 2026: ‘Rights. Justice. Action’,   

• Empowering parents, carers and children - OPCC funding to expand Let’s Talk successful projects, including a new website 

Other projects still in the pipeline include the production of a short film that shows the world through a woman’s eyes who is simply trying to make her way safely home, more routes being added to the OPCC funded Saturday night bus service and discussions about how to improve safety on trains. 

Eradicating VAWG once and for all is not something that can be done alone. It has to be done in collaboration as a united front and I remain committed to doing everything in my power over the next two years to make sure change begins to be seen so that women and girls can once again enjoy their lives without always being in fear for their safety.