POLICE arrested and cautioned an 18-year-old man for common assault while on night patrols.

Officers are out and about more often around Swindon's pubs and clubs to make people feel safer on weekends.

Project Vigilant aims to prevent violence and sexual offences against women and young girls as well as help ensure anyone of any gender can safely enjoy a night out.

Uniformed and plain-clothed officers patrolled Fleet Street, Wood Street and Hooper’s Place to provide reassurance and keep an eye on things.

During Saturday evening, officers used guidance from the National Crime Agency to identify and speak to five people about their concerning behaviour, and cautioned the 18-year-old.

Officers spoke to door staff at venues to help build up their understanding of ongoing issues within the night-time economy and provided support to members of the public and venue staff who required help.

The project's lead DCI Gemma Vintonsaid: “It was a really successful evening and hopefully our presence not only provided reassurance for those out enjoying themselves but also acted as a deterrent for those intent on causing harm.

“With the interventions that were made, we were able to speak to them on the behaviour that caused us concerns.

"The reaction from both members of the public and venues on Saturday night was a really positive one.

“They were pleased to see us out and were engaging with us to make the night-time a safe place for people to enjoy bars, pubs and clubs.

“These extra patrols and police presence help us to not only get that message across that we are being proactive in protecting people, but also enables us to see who is in our towns and cities and ensure we can hold people to account if they are behaving in a way which is unacceptable.

“We want people to be able to go out and enjoy their night, keep doing what they normally do, safe in the knowledge that they shouldn’t be expected to change anything about the way they act or dress to prevent themselves becoming a victim of a sexual offence.

“Our focus is on potential perpetrators. Any form of sexual offence is an incredibly traumatic experience for the victim and it is key for us to try to stop that before it happens.”

 

HELP FOR VICTIMS

Anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault, whether recently or in the past, is encouraged to contact Wiltshire Police.

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 and participating venues here - Ask for Angela - Wiltshire Council.

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 here StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk).

It's essential that regardless of what sort of assault has been carried out, survivors are encouraged to access help early. You can do this by contacting the Swindon and Wiltshire Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) 24/7 on 01793 781 917.