Nighttime guardians safeguard vulnerable woman in Northampton town centre

A vulnerable woman was safeguarded whilst on a night out in Northampton after quick intervention from a club doorman, the Northampton Guardians, Northampton CCTV Control and police officers from Operation Kayak.

In the late evening of Friday, June 14, a doorman from the NB’s nightclub noticed a lone woman who had been separated from her friends and was in a vulnerable state.

He notified CCTV Control and asked them to monitor her as well as requesting the Northampton Guardians to come and attend.

The Northampton Guardians were set up after the tragic death of India Chipchase in 2016.

Whilst the Guardians were on their way over to check on the woman, the CCTV controller noticed a man approach her, begin to engage her in conversation and invite her into his car.

When the Guardians and the doorman from NB’s arrived at the location, they quickly established that the man in question neither knew the woman, nor was a registered taxi driver.

She was taken to a place of safety and checked over by the Guardians.

Police officers from Operation Kayak were also in attendance and were able to establish that thankfully, no offences had taken place. However, the man’s details were taken and he will be stopped should he enter the nighttime economy again.

Operation Kayak is a proactive policing operation launched by the Force to reduce predatory behaviours.

It aims to improve night-time safety by looking out for and intervening to stop potentially predatory behaviour, including loitering, leering, following lone and/or vulnerable individuals, harassment, and sexual violence.

Detective Inspector Becky Simmons from Northamptonshire Police’s SOLAR Team, said: “This is a fantastic example of partnership working and it just shows how we can all work together to protect people from harm during the nighttime economy.

“Although we cannot be certain what this man’s intentions were, what we do know is that he approached a vulnerable person he did not know and this is exactly the reason Op Kayak exists. We want to prevent offences before they take place and do everything we can to ensure women and girls not only are safe, but feel safe.

“I’d like to thank the Northampton Guardians and CCTV Control for their work here and my particular thanks goes to the NB’s doorman whose intuition and care ensured the safety of this woman.

“Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard to protect and safeguard, alongside our partners.”