Scheme tackles predatory behaviour in Plymouth

A Plymouth City Council initiative to help women feel safer on nights out reviewed 43 men for showing early signs of predatory behaviour.

Working with the police, the council said the 2024 pilot scheme used "intelligence" to disrupt behaviour before it escalated into serious violence.

Eighteen of the men, aged between 22 and 77 years old, were asked to discuss their actions at group meeting held at police stations.

In a cabinet meeting, community safety manager Kristina Browning said without intervention their behaviour would have "remained unchallenged" as none of the men met the threshold for a criminal investigation.

Some of the behaviour included loitering, isolating, harassing or following women, making sexualised comments and giving unwanted attention, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Eighteen of the men were asked to discuss their actions in a group called the 'evening and night-time economy predatory behaviour disruption partnership'.

Mrs Browning said women had felt harassed, alarmed and distressed by their behaviour in all the cases.

"The vast majority of people who go out, go out with the best intentions," she said.

"This is about a small minority who go out without those good intentions. It is those we are looking to target."

The partnership can issue community protection notices - written warnings asking someone to modify behaviour that negatively impacts quality of life, and civil injunctions to stop antisocial behaviour escalating.

The success of the pilot scheme has meant the work is being incorporated into Plymouth Conucil's community safety team.

"We are picking this up as business as usual, and as we have been promoting it there has been an increase in intelligence," said Mrs Browning.

We have had 13 interventions in the first four months of year two."

Funding for behavioural change work is the next step, as the partnership also supports people who have displayed predatory behaviour to prevent it happening again.

Eighteen men who had early intervention had not come to the attention of the police since, Ms Browning said.

Sally Haydon, cabinet member for community safety, said it was one of many initiatives making Plymouth a "very safe city".

"Women who just want to enjoy a night out in Plymouth have every right to do so," she said.

"Our bars, restaurants, clubs and public spaces should be a place of fun and safety not fear."

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