Doorman's 'intuition' keeps vulnerable woman safe

The Northampton Guardians are volunteers who aim to keep people safe in the town centre at night

A doorman and a group of volunteers helped to rescue a woman who was being enticed into a car by a stranger.

The doorman contacted Northampton's CCTV control centre after noticing a lone woman being approached by a man who tried to get her into his vehicle.

Volunteers from Northampton Guardians, set up after the murder of India Chipchase in 2016, were called to the scene and the woman was taken to a safe place.

Northamptonshire Police praised the doorman for his "intuition and care".

Northamptonshire Police said the incident happened on the night of 14 June, when a doorman at NB's nightclub in Bridge Street, Northampton, noticed a woman on her own who had been separated from her friends and was in a vulnerable state.

He contacted CCTV control centre and asked them to keep an eye on her as well as requesting the Northampton Guardians to attend to her.

The volunteer Northampton Guardians scheme was set up after the death of India Chipchase, who was raped and murdered by a man in 2016.

The Northampton Guardians were set up after the murder of India Chipchase in Northampton in 2016

As the Guardians made their way to Bridge Street to check on the woman, the CCTV controller noticed a man approach her, engage her in conversation and invite her into his car.

The Guardians and the doorman quickly established that the man did not know the woman and was not a taxi driver.

The woman was taken to a safe place and the Guardians ascertained that she was unharmed.

Police said the doorman from NB's nightclub in Bridge Street displayed "intuition and care"

Police officers from Operation Kayak established that a crime had not been committed, but they took the man's details and Northamptonshire Police said he "will be stopped should he enter the night-time economy again".

Det Insp Becky Simmons from Northamptonshire Police said: “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 Operation Kayak exists.

“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."