NATIONAL personal safety campaigner Diana Lamplugh is urging regional newspapers across the country to follow the Daily Echo's lead in promoting safety on the streets.

Mrs Lamplugh set up the Suzy Lamplugh trust after her daughter disappeared from the London estate agents where she worked in 1986.

She praised our Be Safe, Be Sensible campaign and is now calling on other newspapers to join the Daily Echo in highlighting the issue.

Mrs Lamplugh said: "It's a marvellous idea because you're talking to the people who are picking up the paper.

"I was looking through my local paper and I thought it was so dull I put it down. I would love to see it in our local paper.

"People should be asking themselves if they're safe and what they should be doing."

The Be Safe, Be Sensible campaign was launched in conjunction with Hampshire police and has already been backed by a number of pubs, clubs, taxi and bus companies and youth clubs across the county, as well as Home Office Minister and Southampton Itchen MP John Denham.

It was set up after a successful pilot scheme in Fareham, where seven women were attacked in just a few weeks.

Mrs Lamplugh said: "You can't make anybody safer, what you can do is enable them to think about it.

"Once they have started to think about it they will start to behave safely. What you're doing is raising people's thoughts and ideas and then getting them to think about it for themselves."

She said one important area where

people should be aware of their safety is when taking taxis.

"Make sure you're getting the right taxi. Too often these taxi companies have not got enough taxis so they go and ask another company for one, so then nobody knows who that driver is. It could be anybody."

Mrs Lamplugh said another important tip was to know when to give in.

"It's important to put your handbag in the right place and it's important to let it go if you have to. Far too many people hold onto it."