A Safety App Is Not a Safety Strategy — Barnsley Deserves Better
Barnsley Council has relaunched a personal safety app across the borough.
That alone tells us something important.
You do not relaunch safety apps in places where people feel safe. You do it when residents across Barnsley are uneasy walking home, when antisocial behaviour is becoming normalised, and when confidence in visible policing has slipped away.
Let us be honest.
An app does not stop crime.
An app does not deter offenders.
An app does not deal with drug activity, intimidation, repeat troublemakers or violence.
An app helps after someone already feels unsafe. That is not prevention. It is a digital sticking plaster.
Worse still, it quietly shifts responsibility onto residents. Download this. Plan safer routes. Manage your own risk. Meanwhile, the root causes remain untouched.
For those of us standing as Independents in Barnsley, this matters. Because local safety is not a branding exercise. It is a basic responsibility of local leadership.
If safety were truly the priority, Barnsley residents would already be seeing action, not press releases:
Consistent, visible policing in town centres and neighbourhoods
Firm action against repeat antisocial behaviour and known hotspots
Properly lit streets and well-maintained public spaces
Honest crime reporting instead of PR driven reassurance
Clear accountability when things do not improve
So, the question must now be asked.
Over to our local councillors in Barnsley. What is your plan?
Not slogans.
Not consultations.
Not another app launch.
Real plans. With timescales. With measurable outcomes. And with accountability.
As we approach the May 2026 local elections, residents are entitled to expect more than digital fixes for real-world problems.
People do not want another download.
They want to feel safe walking home.
They want their children to be safe on buses.
They want Barnsley town centres that are welcoming, not intimidating.
We have had enough spin. We will not be hoodwinked, and we certainly will not stand for being gaslit ever again.
Safety is not an app. It is a responsibility.
Making common sense, common again — David Wood Unfiltered
