'It's making a difference in keeping women and girls safe': Police scoop award for work

Project Rudolph, which was run by the force’s Prevention Hub, won the National Police Chiefs’ Council Making Spaces Safer category at the recognition event, last month.

The project, which ran in December 2023 throughout the Christmas and New Year period, focused on identifying the early signs of predatory behaviour towards women and girls, particularly at a time of year when night-time crime and disorder can increase.

As part of the project, which was funded by Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion’s successful bid through the Home Office’s Safer Streets 5, the Prevention Hub trained and deployed 36 officers in behavioural detection. CCTV operators were also trained to identify behaviour.

This was combined with working closely with licensed premises to improve safety in venues, and the analysis of data to ensure that officers were deployed to areas where offences were most likely to take place.

During the festive period in 2023 West Mercia Police saw a decrease in offences against women and girls across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.

Temporary Chief Constable Richard Cooper said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in the now award winning Project Rudolph programme.

“This award is great recognition for an innovative, intelligence-led project that is making a real difference in keeping women and girls safe across our communities in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.”

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion added: “It’s a sad fact that violence against women and girls is prevalent in our society, and the police play a vital role in rewriting that narrative.

“At the heart of my police and crime plan is a focus on ensuring women and girls feel safe and are safe so I continue to support West Mercia Police with the resources it needs to deliver on that commitment.

“It’s testament to this shared focus and the hard work of officers that the action taking place to identify perpetrators has been recognised on a national level.”

Superintendent Edward Hancox, Inspector Mike Philips (represented by Sergeant Alex Stacey), Sergeant Dougal Bell and Sergeant Marv Choudhury collected the award from Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the NPCC’s lead for VAWG.

The event was held in London on September 17 to celebrate the work of police forces, campaigners, ambassadors, charities and support organisations to help protect women and girls.