Operation Guardians: How officers are working to keep everyone safe this Jubilee bank holiday weekend

Officers will be out across Cheshire to provide extra patrols over the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday weekend to ensure everyone can enjoy the celebrations safely.

The extended bank holiday coincides with Cheshire Constabulary’s second phase of Operation Guardians which will shine a spotlight on violence against women and girls.

Beginning on Thursday 2 June, the force is expecting to see an influx of people out and about across the county – particularly in pubs and clubs and at locally organised community and street parties.

In a bid to bolster our efforts in protecting the public, a series of planned activities are underway to disrupt anyone intent on causing trouble or harm.

There will be a number of uniformed officers supported by the Special Constabulary patrolling key hotspots across the county along with plain clothed officers who will be blending into the area’s bars, clubs and pubs on the lookout for predatory behaviour such as harassment, loitering and stalking.

The force will also be using innovative technology to assist in responding to incidents of violence against women and girls.

One example of this is the GoodSAM Instant Help platform which allows anyone who calls 999 to live stream from their mobile phone to a call operator in the Force Control Centre.

The use of GoodSAM is a first for police forces in the North West and will allow the force to track live locations of the call which can be forwarded in real time to officers closest to the scene.

There are also kiosks in police stations and custody suites that download specific phone data from victims’ phones – saving them from giving up their phone for weeks.

Victims can also benefit from a new mobile digital forensic unit which is an unmarked van that will discreetly attend crime scenes or victims’ homes, enabling officers to extract the required data from digital devices.

Superintendent Gareth Wrigley said: “The safety of women and girls is a huge priority for the force and we are proactively policing our communities to prevent, deter and take action against offenders who prey on women and girls.

“Our officers will be out proactively targeting popular night-time venues and I would urge anyone who is feeling unsafe, vulnerable or threatened to please speak to an officer. They will listen and are there to protect you.

“We want to reassure people that by providing a high profile we will be able to hold people to account, taking action against those intent on causing fear and harm, making the county hostile to those who think that they can get away with this type of behaviour.

“The message is clear, we will not stop when pursuing those intent on causing harm. If you are caught, you will be dealt with. If you need our help we will be there working 24/7 providing the support you need.”