Half of the women felt insecure at one point walking alone in the dark, according to recent figures from the National Statistics Office.

They can call a friend, share their location on WhatsApp or have their keys at hand, all the strategies to stay safe. Sexual harassment against women has been the focus of most of this year, with women in the UK using their own methods to feel better when they go out at night. So could technology play a role in making women feel safer on our streets?

Since the assassination of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, the WalkSafe app has grown in popularity and is now the fastest growing security app in the UK.

Founder Emma Kaye came up with the concept after suffering harassment, groping and lightning.

“Our application is very bittersweet because, of course, we like to be busy. However, we really wish it didn’t exist. Nobody wants to live in a world where we need a security app, but unfortunately there is a place for that. ” , He said.

WalkSafe will have a new satellite navigation feature early next year, which will include a live map where family and friends can track your trip and chat with you in real time. For now, its only selling point is a map that allows people to plan their safest route home, analyzing recent crime data.

Kaye said: “Our application encourages people to take precautions to avoid crime, rather than reactionary measures when they are in an unfortunate situation.

“We have former detectives from the Metropolitan Police and criminal analysts who analyze this data and classify it into areas that the user would like to know about. By looking at crime patterns, users can identify critical crime points to plan safer routes. ”

Since its launch in March this year, the application has had over 560,000 downloads.