THAMES Valley Police has won an international award for its work on targeting sexual predators at Oxford night clubs.

Project Vigilant, which launched in June 2019, won the Crime Prevention award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) on October 23.

Undercover police officers, and some in uniform, patrolled the streets and went into nightclubs to hunt for sexual harassment, inappropriate touching and loitering.

Read more: another school with a coronavirus outbreak

Teams had worked out, using detailed analytics, the nights when this type of behaviour was anticipated.

The project has also received support from the National Crime Agency and is being shared as an example of best practice with other forces.

On getting the award, chief inspector James Senior said: “This project has been instrumental in safeguarding the public and creating a hostile environment for perpetrators wanting to commit sexual offences in Oxford."