The aim of Project NightEye is to prevent sexual and other crimes by proactively identifying predatory sexual behaviour and intervening to prevent this escalating to an offence.

This could include men making unwanted contact towards women, attempting to isolate women from their friends on a night out or making lewd or sexual comments.

Local police officers actively work in collaboration with partners, such as venue and security staff to identify and target potential offenders.

One tactic used within Project NightEye is Project Vigilant, involving specially trained officers (either in plain clothes or uniform) patrolling outside bars and clubs, between specific times and in places identified to be more likely to have crimes reported.

Thames Valley Police successfully trialled the Project Vigilant tactic in 2019 in Oxford - it showed a reduction in sexual offending of 30% and a reduction in rapes by 50%, in the evening and night-time economy. Devon & Cornwall Police is now looking to emulate this success.

To support Project NightEye, training has also been delivered to CCTV operators in identifying predatory sexual behaviour.