Rita Saffioti says she is always ‘aware of surroundings’ as investigation reveals scale of women’s fear

Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti admits she is “always” on high alert when she walks alone after an investigation revealed the extraordinary lengths women were taking to feel safe on WA streets. The West Australian today revealed Perth women were arming themselves with tasers, pocket knives and aerosol deodorant to protect themselves against violent attackers. More than 100 women told of how they were carrying sharp hairpins, heavy water bottles or pepper spray just to feel safe outside their home. Others reported keeping a screwdriver in their car or never leaving home without an AirTag so loved ones could keep tabs on their whereabouts. Speaking to media on Monday, Ms Saffioti said she was “always” aware of her surroundings, especially when walking alone. She said she was “passionate” about creating outdoor spaces with more foot traffic so people felt safer. “I’m always aware of my surroundings . . . because things go through your mind, especially when you’re walking by yourself on the street, so there’s no doubt,” Ms Saffioti said. “One of my passions is to try and increase the amount of people outdoors . . . and under the planning system, (my goal) is to try and get as many people outdoors to create more activity to make people feel safer. “Because my view in relation to feeling safe is to try and get as many people outdoors on the streets. That’s why the planning system is very important, how we can encourage more people to be outside on the paths, using public transport across the whole community to help that feeling of safety.” One woman, who did not want to be identified, said walking home in the dark “felt less like a commute and more like a risk-calculation”. “As a neurodivergent woman I typically wear noise-reducing headphones to manage sensory overwhelm, but once the sun sets, I take them off — I need all my senses sharp,” she told The West. “I wear my hair in a tight bun, never a pony tail,” she said. “I don’t wear sandals, only sneakers, double-knotted.” And in an extreme example, a 54-year-old mother said she had been carrying a taser in her handbag “for years”. “It’s for my own safety because you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. Ms Saffioti, asked if the accounts were concerning, said “of course it’s worrying”. She said Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Jessica Stojkovski was doing “a lot of work” to ensure respect was being taught in schools. “It’s so important that as a community, we foster a feeling of making sure there’s respect and respect (towards) women in our community,” she said. “A lot of work is being done by our Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence about the concept of a respect, and a lot of what we’re trying to teach through our schools and through our community is respecting women and girls. “That’s fundamental. If you can respect women, then these sorts of incidents wouldn’t occur and the feeling of safety would be a lot better. “But this is something that’s always been the case (violence against women), but hopefully through our campaigns (which) highlight coercive control (we can) basically teach young people about respect and make sure that everyone can feel safe.”