Norfolk Police 'proactively' looking to prevent night-time economy crime
Project Vigilant will see specially trained police out in force- to clamp down on the likes of spiking and harassment
Local Police tell us they're 'proactively' looking to prevent crime in Norwich's night-time economy, through a new operation.
Plain-clothed and uniformed officers are patrolling the city this weekend tackling inappropriate behaviour, in Project Vigilant.
This initiative, launched on White Ribbon Day last year, marks a shift from traditional safety campaigns, say Norfolk Police
Officers tell us this places the focus firmly on challenging perpetrators rather than placing the burden on potential victims.
"Success here clearly looks like people having a good time"
Chief Inspector Edward Brown is from Norfolk Police:
"So instead of having officers just standing out on the ground waiting for things to happen, we are looking to identify people who are going to cause problems.
"Over the course of the last year we have seen numerous deployments go and identify people who we then go on to take risk assessments around.
"Success here clearly looks like people having a good time, not being affected by sexual predators and people feeling comfortable to enjoy this experience int the city.
"Policing obviously has a whole part to play in all this, as we're there to ultimately make sure that people stay safe".
Spiking data:
Women are the main victims in a large majority of spiking offences, 74 percent, but anyone can be a victim of spiking.
The average age of a victim is 26 years old, according to data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
The data also showed 80 percent of incidents happen in public spaces, where people go to enjoy themselves.
Almost half of incidents reported happened in a bar followed by nightclubs being the most common location.