Okehampton Police have announced a new Devon and Cornwall Police-wide campaign targeting night-time industries to tackle violence against women and girls.

Police have launched the campaign in the hope of catching sexual predators and increasing safety for women and girls in public spaces on nights out. This follows on from a recent alleged rape in Okehampton town centre, though police have said the introduction of Project Nighteye is unrelated to the incident.

Devon and Cornwall Police explained: “The aim of this activity is to target those who seek to cause harm to women and girls by addressing harmful sexualised behaviour, and intervening to prevent escalation. Devon and Cornwall Police acknowledges that harassment and misogynistic behaviour is frightening and harmful and this activity will focus on making West Devon a hostile place for perpetrators to operate. Our expectation is not simply to suggest women ‘keep themselves safe’ but an acknowledgment that without perpetrators of harm, there is no offending. Therefore we will actively tackle the behaviour and activities of those who seek to cause harm, and ask that the public assist us by calling out this behaviour and reporting instances to us.

“The West Devon policing team is currently engaged in Project NightEye activities. In recent weeks the neighbourhood team and licencing officer have visited licenced premises in Tavistock and more recently, Okehampton licenced premises have been visited. West Devon is a safe place to live, working with our partners on activities like this help it to stay safe.”

Over the past week, police have been asking those businesses open at night, such as pubs, to watch out for behaviour which could be indicative of a sexual predator.

This could include: men loitering or repeatedly returning to an area after being asked to leave; men preventing women from leaving an area; men making lewd comments or unwanted sexual advances; stalking; or vehicles loitering along main routes out without any reason to do so.

Police have said they are also interested in hearing about reports of such behaviour on social media posts which have not been reported to the police.

People can also report such behaviour anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The StreetSafe app is also available for anyone to inform that police of public areas where they feel unsafe for whatever reason, such as lack of streetlighting, vandalism or being followed.

Business owner Simon Chudley, who runs the London Inn, already provides a safe space for anyone who feels threatended or unsafe while out at night,and has voiced his support of the police scheme.

He said: “The police have been round dropping off leaflets so every pub should be informed about it. It’s dreadful to think something like [the rape] happened here – it’s a pretty safe place and we want to keep it that way.”

The rape incident in Okehampton occurred in the early hours of July 9 and police later arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of rape. So far, police are unable to give any updates on the case.

Earlier this week, London’s police force, the Metropolitan Police, announced that they had started to use counter-terrorism techniques to help catch sexual predators targeting women and girls.

 Mr Chudley added: “It’s good to see the Met Police stepping up their campaign [to stop violence against women and girls]. It should encourage other forces to do the same.”