Wiltshire Police targeting violence against women as part of national framework
The force launched a dedicated project earlier this year
Last updated 16th Dec 2021
Wiltshire Police are joining forces across England and Wales to target those intent on causing harm to women and girls within our communities.
A national framework has been launched that sets out what is required from officers and staff to combat violence against women and girls and put the focus on perpetrators.
Wiltshire launched Project Vigilant earlier this year, which is trying to stop people committing sexual offences, by identifying those who display signs.
After the murder of Sarah Everard by PC Wayne Couzens, they also set up a verification process which allows the public to confirm the officer is on duty.
Supt Sarah Robbins, Wiltshire Police’s lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, said:
“Everyone in our communities should be able to feel safe and improvements have already been made in the policing response to violence against women and girls.
“However, in the last year, we’ve listened to our communities who have made it clear that we need to continue to explore all possible opportunities to reduce violence against women and girls and restore their confidence in the police.
“It is important this doesn’t fall on deaf ears, which is why a framework like this, ensuring victims get a consistently high standard of service, whatever the crime and wherever it is committed, is essential.
“As we did during our Project Vigilant campaign, we want to make it clear that those intent on causing harm to women and girls should be in no doubt that we are targeting them.
“We want to turn the tables to ensure perpetrators of these crimes feel under threat from us and change their behaviours, not women and girls wanting to go about their lives.
“We are committed to making these long-lasting changes, and, as part of this, we will also be looking inwards - at ourselves - to create a culture within Wiltshire Police where officers and staff can be confident and comfortable about speaking out about behaviour that falls below our high standard, and that any such behaviours can be appropriately addressed.”
If you have been the victim of a crime, you can report it via the Wiltshire Police website or by calling 101.
Always call 999 in an emergency or if a sexual assault has just occurred.
If you feel uncomfortable on a night out in Wiltshire, you can also ‘Ask for Angela’ at participating venues where staff will be trained to offer you support. You can find more info by going to Wiltshire's Council website.
You can also use the Government’s online tool ‘StreetSafe’ to flag areas on a map where you don’t feel safe, from poorly lit walkways to instances of public harassment, regardless of whether a crime has taken place.