Prevention, Diversion and Disruption programmes. Project Vigilant and Operation Shield

Circles South East works in partnership with police forces to develop and deliver prevention, disruption and diversion programmes. In this way, as the diversion partner, we deliver interventions to people who have been identified as at risk of causing sexual harm.

Project Vigilant targets people at risk of committing sexual harm in Oxford’s nighttime economy. In 2019 Thames Valley Police identified the highest number of sexual offences across the region were happening in Oxford, they planned a proactive disruptive approach and Project Vigilant was created. Circles South East were asked to support Project Vigilant as a diversion partner and the result was a significant reduction in sexual harm.  

The project has since been adopted by more forces throughout the South East, with some changes, such as names but we remain the partner providing the community engagement and diversion elements.  We understand that police forces are structured differently and so changes and adjustments will need to be made, for example the programme is called Operation Shield in Surrey. But the basics of the programme remain the same.

  • Forces send out proactive patrols of uniformed and non-uniformed officers on into nighttime economy.

DISRUPTION

  • Non uniformed officers look for people behaving in ways which suggests they are trying to create an opportunity to offend.

PREVENTION

  • This behaviour is flagged up to the uniformed officers who approach that individual. If their suspicions are proved to be correct, or they still have concerns they refer that individual to Circles South East.

DIVERSION

  • We can then work with that individual to divert them from that path, and help them manage any potentially harmful sexual thinking, before they have caused serious harm.

Police Prevention Programmes

By the time individuals are identified by Project Vigilant pro-active patrols, they are likely to  have already taken certain steps toward engaging in sexual harm. These are identified in Finklehor’s Four Preconditions Model (1984) that outlines steps taken by an individual in order to engage in sexually harmful behaviour.

  1. Motivation – the thoughts and desires of the individual to commit sexual harm, which may not be linked to sexual gratification but to fulfilling a need.
  2. Removing internal barriers – The individual giving themselves permission to offend, overcoming conscience and inhibitions, which is linked to thoughts, feeling and core beliefs
  3. Removing external barriers – The individual overcoming obstacles to committing sexually harmful behaviour in the nighttime economy.
      • This is where Project Vigilant will intervene and Circles South East works with the individual to address the factors that led to their behaviours and desire to offend, supporting them to make significant changes to reduce the likelihood of them causing sexual harm and hold them accountable.
  1. Overcoming the victim’s resistance – this can be by force, grooming or a mixture of both.

Despite different names and structures across different forces, any variation of Project Vigilant has the same aim. Both Project Vigilant in Oxford and Project Shield in Surrey now has given those police forces the ability to refer people they have concerns the potential for sexual harm to us, and not just from the nighttime economy.

Prevention and disruption are key factors of the police operation and  diversion helps with long term prevention and reducing the risk of harm, this is where working in partnership with Circles South East plays a huge part.

Benefits from a prevention programme with Circles South East

1. Wider referrals

Within this contract we can take referrals for people you may have concerns about:

  • You might not have enough to arrest them, or do anything with, but are concerned about their likelihood to cause sexual harm
  • The individual is waiting for a conviction

2. Initial Assessment

Most of the individuals referred to us from projects like Vigilant will not have has input from probation or been in custody, or served any sentence, they will not have been assessed. So, we can give them an initial assessment to recognise contributing factors and deficits they need to work on. Using our established modules (id applicable) we can work with them to get them to a place of resettling and support, maintain and monitor them through our network of trained volunteers.

3. Education and community engagement events

A part of our contract when we work with forces on Project Vigilant, is delivering community engagement events to educate and empower the community on preventing violence against women and girls. We deliver, briefings, training and workshops to professional groups, Nighttime Economy workers, volunteers, faith groups, students and police officers to talk about VAWG, culture, restorative solutions, active bystander training and bespoke packages to suit you. These trainings are also available separately to be offered more widely.

4. Additional support for people who commit sexual harm

 The Priority Access Model was created from this partnership with Thames Valley Police and is a secondary contract which gives swift and effective access to Circle South East’s resources for those convicted of causing sexual harm who are at the end of their licence, or have completed their licence, are unsupported or isolated, should there be a concern they are likely to reoffend.

Working with Circles South-East on prevention, disruption and diversion programmes

We work collaboratively with Police Services across the South East and are happy to discuss a version of Operation Vigilant or any other programme you have in mind, provided it fits within our remit of reducing sexual harm.

Please contact Sarah West, Project Vigilant Lead for Circles South East via email

info@circlessoutheast.org.uk or call 01235 816050

Forces implementing Project Vigilant

  1. Hertfordshire Constabulary – https://www.herts.police.uk/police-forces/hertfordshire-constabulary/areas/campaigns/vawg/campaigns/project-vigilant–spotting-sexual-predators/
  2. Thames Valley Police – https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/au/about-us/violence-against-women-and-girls/
  3. Wiltshire Police – https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/documents/s209300/Project%20VIGILANT%20DAY%20Partner%20Briefing.pdf
  4. Gloucester Constabulary https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/news/gloucestershire/2024/september/project-vigilant-piloted-in-cheltenham-to-target-predatory-behaviour/
  5. Metropolitan Police – https://www.met.police.uk/police-forces/metropolitan-police/areas/about-us/about-the-met/vawg-action-plan-summary/making-places-safer/

BBC Crimewatch: Project Vigilant

Crimewatch joined officers on a deployment in Reading town centre to get a better understanding of how the initiative works.

Further information:

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