Sarah Everard report praises force's initiative

The second part of the Angiolini Report, chaired by Lady Elish Angiolini KC, was published on Tuesday

An inquiry looking into policing culture and the safety of women has praised an "impressive" project run by Thames Valley Police (TVP).

The Angiolini Inquiry was set up to investigate how Met Police officer Wayne Couzens was able to abduct, rape and murder Sarah Everard in 2021.

Its chairwoman, Lady Elish Angiolini KC, paid "particular tribute" to Project Vigilant, established by TVP in 2019.

Her report found it was "the most frequently cited preventative measure that has a positive impact on the prevention of sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces".

In its second part, published on Tuesday, it praised "the efforts of a few champions in [TVP]" who were doing work "on top of their day job" and had helped to roll it out to about 20 other forces.

Project Vigilant seeks to target men who have previously acted in a predatory way towards women at night.

TVP work found, of about 40 men who had acted "in a predatory way" towards women in a town centre, 19 were already known to the police for sexual offences.

The Angiolini Inquiry also found more than a quarter of police forces in England and Wales have not implemented basic policies for investigating sexual offences.

Recent successes for Project Vigilant include the jailing of a 35-year-old man jailed for raping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Oxford in November.

Amin Abedi Mofrad, an Iranian asylum seeker, was arrested because of the initiative. Evidence linking him to the sexual offences were found on his mobile phone in December 2024.

Amin Abedi Mofrad was jailed at Oxford Crown Court last month

Det Supt Jon Capps, head of rape and sexual offences at TVP and the force's Project Vigilant lead, said: "We welcome the Inquiry's recognition of Project Vigilant and the hard work that has gone in to making it a success. However, we know there is more to do."

"Violence Against Women and Girls is a force priority and Project Vigilant is at the heart of our response. We want would-be perpetrators to know we have dedicated teams watching their actions if they plan to commit a crime.

"Our aims are clear, to stop harm before it happens and put the focus and scrutiny on perpetrators, creating safer public spaces."

The third part of the inquiry will look at the career of serial sex offender and former Met Police officer David Carrick.