Aarhus father gathers neighbors for evening walks after assaults

After two assaults on young women near Riis Skov, a forest in Aarhus, resident Jacob Hou is organising evening walks in groups. DR reports that the first walk is planned for Friday evening.

The idea began in a Facebook group for residents of the Trøjborg neighbourhood. The two assaults happened within the past three months in the area around the forest.

On Sunday, a woman out running in the evening was pushed hard from behind and an unknown man tried to hold her down, Hou said. The incident took place about one kilometre from an earlier assault on another young woman on a night in July.

Hou, who lives in Trøjborg, calls the initiative “Fathers for Safety.” He said participants would walk in groups of two or three, greeting people they meet. They are not a security patrol, he said, but concerned fathers who want to be present in their community.

Hou said the group would intervene if they witnessed a woman being assaulted or harassed, and would detain a suspected attacker until police arrived. He said they would not approach people otherwise.

East Jutland Police strongly advises against setting up private patrols. “Although we fully understand the feeling of insecurity, we strongly discourage people from establishing anything resembling private security patrols,” investigative chief Flemming Nørgaard said in an email to Ritzau.

Hou said he had received many positive responses on social media, particularly from women. If police became more active in the area, he said, the group would not need to be out as much.

Police are still seeking witnesses to both assaults. Anyone with information can contact them on 114.