Northamptonshire Police launch campaign to tackle violence against women and girls
The It Does Matter campaign encourages victims to report non-contact sexual offences.
Northamptonshire Police has launched a new campaign to help promote the reporting of non-contact sexual offences, which are often underreported by victims.
The It Does Matter campaign focuses on raising awareness of crimes such as indecent exposure, voyeurism, upskirting, and revenge porn. These offences are now recognised as forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The campaign’s aim is to encourage victims to come forward, emphasising that these offences are serious and reports can aid police in taking action against offenders before their behaviour potentially escalates to more serious crimes, such as rape or sexual assault.
Detective Chief Inspector Liz Basham, Northamptonshire Police’s lead for VAWG, said: “I’m really pleased to be launching this campaign, which coincides with 16 Days of Activism, an annual global VAWG awareness campaign.
“We know there are women and girls in Northamptonshire who have been subjected to non-contact sexual offences. We also know that many may not understand the seriousness of such an offence and haven’t thought to report it to police.
“It may have been brushed off as something that happens to all women, or victims may not have known that it is a criminal offence. Our message is, it does not have to be brushed off and when it happens, we want to know.
“Reporting these offences is important as it helps us to take action against perpetrators by gathering intelligence, understanding offending patterns, locating perpetrators, and preventing the escalation of offences, including rape and sexual assault. It really does matter.”
Northamptonshire Police is also continuing its work to provide visible safety measures as part of its wider efforts to protect women and girls.
Operation Kayak is a policing initiative designed to support vulnerable individuals and deter inappropriate behaviours in town centres, particularly over weekends and the busy Christmas period.
To further support the safety of women and girls, Northamptonshire Police will be using Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras for the first time in town centres across the region.
The technology is set to be deployed in Northampton on Friday (28 November), Kettering on Saturday (29 November), and again in Northampton and Wellingborough on December 5 and 6 respectively.