Police will be looking out for ‘strange men’ displaying ‘predatory behaviour’ over the Christmas period.

This is due to a county-wide bolstering of efforts to combat violence against women and girls during the last leg of 2024, with additional patrols and specialised initiatives already in place.

Detective Inspector Mark Taylor, the lead officer for violence against women and girls, explained the measures, which include deploying both uniformed and plainclothes officers.

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‘Inappropriate and predatory behaviour’ predominantly involves men targeting vulnerable women, DI Taylor said.

This could mean many things but some examples of what police will be looking for specifically include men who are loitering or who try to isolate women from their friendship groups – especially if they believe that she is vulnerable or intoxicated.

“They often will hang around dark places and frequent alleyways – places where they believe they will be undetected,” DI Taylor said.

Cumbria police will implement ‘Operation Vigilant’, which as well as the deployment of officers to look for predatory behaviour, will see specialist criminal investigation department officers working late and night shifts to provide enhanced support for victims of domestic abuse, and community teams will promote safety messages to encourage people to look out for their friends and loved ones.

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The efforts are part of Cumbria Constabulary’s continued focus on making the night-time economy safer for everyone.

DI Taylor said that while overall domestic abuse cases have decreased annually, the Christmas period often brings a spike in certain crimes due to increased socialising and alcohol consumption.

This is part of Cumbria Constabulary’s wider crime strategy for December which also involves stronger policing on the roads, awareness of getting your vehicle winter-ready, fraud prevention, and drink and drug driving.