Vigilant Communities idea rolled out across Wiltshire
Police are aiming to reduce non-contact sexual offences
Steps are being taken to improve the safety of women and girls in Wiltshire following a rise in non-contact sexual offences.
Wiltshire Police says it's received a number of reports of stranger approaches and concerning sexualised behaviour in public spaces.
The force is rolling out a Vigilant Communities scheme - where Neighbourhood Policing Teams, local authorities, CCTV operators, local companies and community groups work together to tackle issues.
They will be given detailed training and advice on how to spot predatory behaviour and how best to report it.
This includes behaviours that may have already been witnessed on the street such as:
• A sober man hanging around outside a pub, approaching drunk women, seemingly at random.
• The same car circling around the local nightclub, youth club, school or college, or a car with male driver and passengers parked up with seemingly no reason to be there
• An intoxicated woman being led along the street by a sober man. He has his arm around her shoulders steering her along the pavement
• A group of men loitering outside a café of takeaway, watching, or making comments to women and girls as they pass by.
Detective Inspector Troy Smith said:
"We know that nearly all serious sexual offenders have carried out non-contact sexual offences such as stalking, indecent exposures and voyeurism. We want to create 'Vigilant Communities' that can help us to gather intelligence on those individuals who make women and girls feel frightened and vulnerable. When someone becomes a victim of sexual violence, we are already too late.
"Typically, police forces see a rise in indecent exposure reports across the country around this time of year and similar to previous years, Wiltshire has received a number of reports of stranger approaches and concerning sexualised behaviour in public spaces. These ranged in location from beauty spots to busy town centres and public transport.“
Wiltshire Police wants people to report when something does not feel right to help gather intelligence on those who pose a risk of causing sexual harm in our communities.
DI Troy Smith said: "It's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. We are trying to collect all the pieces to complete the picture and we need everyone to help us do this.
"If someone is assaulted, they must live on with the trauma, left to cope with feelings of shame, guilt, anger, resentment, fear, shame, isolation.
"I would like to reassure the public that Wiltshire Police can never have too much community intelligence coming in and things may take time to develop. So, if you do not receive a response to the information you give to Vigilant Communities, please do not feel it is being ignored. It may be that more information comes in at a later date that we will be able to link together.
"We want to drive down sexual violence and make our Wiltshire streets a hostile place for predators to operate. Having vigilant guardians in our communities will make a real difference and help us keep people safe."
The training sits within the Police and Crime Commissioner's priority to create safer streets in Wiltshire, which has already seen Home Office money invested to fund night-time economy wardens in Trowbridge and Salisbury on Friday and Saturday nights as well as providing funding for four deployable CCTV cameras in Salisbury, additional CCTV in Chippenham town centre and improved lighting and CCTV in Swindon.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said:
"This training brings together venues across Wiltshire and Swindon to allow them to take responsibility for their customers and create safer and more supportive environments.
"Coupled with the provision of wardens in two of the busiest night-time economy areas in Wiltshire and significant funding to improve lighting and CCTV capabilities, we’re working with our partners and taking steps to improve the night-time experience for our residents."