German television reporters have joined Wiltshire Police officers in Swindon to see how they tackle predatory behaviour during nights out.
A team from German TV news outlet RTL visited the town at the weekend to observe Project Vigilant, an initiative aimed at making the night-time economy safer for women and girls.
The operation involves both plain-clothed and uniformed police officers, who look for and challenge concerning behaviour before it potentially escalates into an offence.
Project Vigilant has been running in Wiltshire since 2022 and has since attracted interest from police and media organisations overseas.
Wiltshire Police said: “The initiative uses both plain-clothed and uniformed officers to proactively challenge behaviours that make women and girls feel unsafe or intimidated, aiming to identify and intercept predatory behaviour before a crime is committed.”
The force has continued to develop the way Project Vigilant operates, including introducing drones to support deployments.
It has also provided training around the initiative to other police forces and new officers joining Wiltshire Police.
Wiltshire Police continued: “Our Force is one of the leaders in developing Project Vigilant further, providing training to other police forces as well as new recruits joining Wiltshire Police.
“We have also introduced the use of drones to support deployments.”
The visit from RTL follows international interest in the policing tactics being used in Wiltshire.
Officers from Stockholm Police have previously travelled to the county to learn more about the initiative and consider how similar tactics could be used in Sweden.
Wiltshire Police added: “More recently, we hosted officers from Stockholm Police, who were keen to see how these tactics could be used in Sweden.”
The German reporters joined officers at the weekend as part of their coverage of the force’s approach to keeping Wiltshire’s nightlife safe.
Wiltshire Police said the visit allowed the journalists to see how officers are working to make nights out both safe and enjoyable.
