India Chipchase: Northampton Guardians night patrol marks first year

Northampton Guardians has been helping vulnerable people in Northampton town centre over the last year

A charity set up after a woman was murdered on a night out has marked its first year of keeping people safe on the streets during the weekend.

Northampton Guardians have volunteered more than 5,000 hours and helped more than 1,000 people in Northampton.

They say they still see "predators hanging around" six years after India Chipchase, 20, was raped and killed.

Volunteer Gill Goodship said police were doing a "huge amount" to identify offenders.

Ms Chipchase was murdered by 52-year-old Edward Tenniswood, who promised to get her home safe after they met outside a Northampton nightclub in 2016.

Edward Tenniswood was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for the murder and rape of India Chipchase in 2016

The Guardians were first set up following Ms Chipchase's death, but they started patrolling the town on busy weekend nights a year ago thanks to the launch of the Safer Nights Out Van (SNO Van) by the county's police, fire and crime commissioner.

During their patrols they work closely with police and door staff to help people get home safely.

Ms Goodship said their visibility was "making people feel safer".

"We have strong connections with most licensed venues in town as well as the emergency services, so when a crime has been committed or someone is badly injured, we can quickly request the appropriate response," she said.

Volunteers help people on nights out by making sure they get home safe, charge their phones and offer water and a safe space

The SNO Van offers a safe space for anyone who has been separated from friends or needs a friendly person to chat to.

Volunteers also check on people's wellbeing, walk them to a taxi rank and charge their phone.

'An ongoing problem'

Sixty-five per cent of those helped by the charity in the last 12 months were women, the Guardians said.

Latest Home Office data highlights an increase in violent crimes against women in the county.

Statistics show the number of sexual offences rose to 1,866 in the year to March - the highest figure since recording methods changed in 2012.

Sex offences are something volunteers see "every week", Ms Goodship said.

"It's still going on. We do see predators hanging around just waiting to find or approach people.

"The police are doing a huge amount to identify those people and remove them from the town, but it's an ongoing problem unfortunately."

The Guardians patrol the town centre every Friday and Saturday night, providing support for vulnerable people

With volunteer numbers growing, the charity hopes to expand to other towns and increase the number of patrols each week.

Ms Goodship added: "You can't tell for sure that you have stopped something happening, but we know something hasn't happened to that person.

"We will continue to recruit volunteers and grow awareness of who we are, what we do and how we can help people."