Thames Valley Police 'intervening early' to protect students from sexual predators
Uniformed and plain-clothed officers will be near bars and nightclubs to spot predatory behaviour
Police officers are being deployed to nightlife hotspots across the Thames Valley as students return to university in a drive to identify and stop sexual predators before the commit offences.
Project Vigilant means uniformed and plain-clothed officers will be near the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, the University of Reading and Buckinghamshire New University.
The project was first launched by Thames Valley Police in 2019 following a series of sexual assaults linked to the night-time economy and has since been adopted by more than 20 police forces across England and Wales.
Detective Inspector Laura Gregory, Thames Valley Police's force lead for Project Vigilant, said: "Our officers are trained to identify predatory behaviour that may pose a risk to someone, and we can then intervene early to prevent any escalation."
DI Gregory stressed the operation was not about surveillance and plain-clothed officers are there to help identify concerning behaviour before uniformed officers intervene.
Plain-clothed officers will operate in pairs and only in public spaces, rather than inside licensed premises.
The force says more than 260 people were flagged across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire as part of Project Vigilant between April 2025 and March 2026.
Around 35% of those identified had a recorded history of violence or sexual offending, including physical violence, sexual violence and other sexual offences.
DI Gregory said the start of the university year is particularly important because, for many students, it would be their first experience of their new town or city's nightlife.
She added: "We want them to be able to go out, enjoy themselves and be safe, but make it really clear for anyone looking to target vulnerable people, our officers are out there and we will intervene."
Police are also urging people to report behaviour which makes them or others feel uncomfortable.
This could include someone refusing to take no for an answer or repeatedly refusing to leave someone alone.
DI Gregory said people should alert venue staff or police rather than trying to determine themselves whether a crime has been committed.
"You don't need to decide if something is a crime, but report it and then let us make an assessment," she said.
Thames Valley Police is also working with pubs, bars, clubs and other night-time economy businesses, including through initiatives such as Ask for Angela, where customers can discreetly alert venue staff if they feel unsafe.
DCI Gregory said they plans to strengthen those relationships further through a project it hopes to launch ahead of Christmas, with the aim of intervening earlier and preventing sexual offences.