Man who approached vulnerable woman on Northampton night out to be stopped if he is seen again in similar situation

On Friday night (June 14), a woman, who was described as “intoxicated”, told a doorman at NB’s in Bridge Street, that she had lost her friends. She walked off alone, so the doorman notified Northampton CCTV control and asked if Northampton Guardians could attend. The CCTV controller saw a man approach the female. He managed to get her in his car and he then got in the driver’s side and started the engine. The doorman was notified and heroically ran to the location and prevented the man from driving off.

Police officers from Operation Kayak were also in attendance. Northamptonshire Police has now said they “were able to establish that thankfully, no offences had taken place”.

A spokeswoman for the force added: “However, the man’s details were taken and he will be stopped should he enter the nighttime economy again.”

Operation Kayak is a proactive policing operation aimed at reducing predatory behaviours. It aims to improve night-time safety by looking out for and intervening to stop potentially predatory behaviour, including loitering, leering, following lone and/or vulnerable individuals, harassment, and sexual violence.

Detective Inspector Becky Simmons from Northamptonshire Police’s SOLAR Team, said: “This is a fantastic example of partnership working and it just shows how we can all work together to protect people from harm during the nighttime economy.

“Although we cannot be certain what this man’s intentions were, what we do know is that he approached a vulnerable person he did not know and this is exactly the reason Op Kayak exists. We want to prevent offences before they take place and do everything we can to ensure women and girls not only are safe, but feel safe.

“I’d like to thank the Northampton Guardians and CCTV Control for their work here and my particular thanks goes to the NB’s doorman whose intuition and care ensured the safety of this woman.

“Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard to protect and safeguard, alongside our partners.”

Northampton Guardians shared a post on Facebook about the incident, which has been shared more than 1,000 and garnered praise for the group and the doorman.