Project Vigilant: Special Sergeant Edd Major joins patrols tackling predatory behaviour
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“Everyone has a role to play in tackling violence against women and girls. I urge people to be an upstander not a bystander.”
Special Sergeant Edd Major (a volunteer officer) is one of 30 officers trained to take part in Project Vigilant patrols. These patrols target predatory behaviour in the nighttime economy. He was on patrol in Leamington last night.
The patrol last night ran alongside other high visibility patrols on what was expected to be one of the busiest nights of the year.
A mixture of plain clothed and uniformed officers patrol around the pubs and clubs. They are specially trained to look out for the signs of predatory behaviour and intervene before any offences occur.
Special Sergeant Major is a volunteer officer who put himself forward to be trained for Project Vigilant.
He said: “I wanted to do this because I’m passionate about tackling violence against women, I believe these are some of the worst crimes someone can commit; it has such a massive impact on victims.
“Some nights we’ll carry out patrols and not have to intervene; I see this as a success, as our main aim is to act as a deterrent and prevent crime before it happens.
“However, if we identify offences then we can make an arrest, or if we identify concerning behaviour we can intervene and encourage them to take a look at themselves and consider whether their behaviour is acceptable.
“I look at it as doing my bit to make our communities safe for women and girls, ensuring they don’t have to worry about violence.
“We’ve all got a role to play in challenging this type of behaviour and I would always urge anyone to report concerns around someone’s behaviour to police or venue security.”
Project Vigilant will continue to run over Christmas.