Keeping people safe and protecting the public is at the heart of what we do as a police force.

This has always been and will continue to be a key priority for us, and, I know this is what motivates our police officers and staff when they come to work each day to serve our communities.

And, it is important to note, that Wiltshire remains a very safe county where crime levels are relatively low.

However, over recent months and weeks it has been made clear that many people across the country, particularly women and girls, do not feel safe when out and about in the villages, towns or cities where they live.

It is troubling and disheartening to hear stories of people feeling they have to change their behaviour to try to protect themselves.

They pretend to be on a mobile phone when walking home at night, make decisions around what they should wear to prevent them being targeted, or change their routes, walking a longer distance to ensure they keep to busy, well-lit streets.

This, quite simply, isn’t right.

The focus should be on the perpetrators and ensuring they change their actions instead.

That is why I am so proud of Wiltshire Police’s ongoing work around our night-time economy, making our towns and cities safer.

We recently launched Project Vigilant, a proactive operation which has seen extra patrols of uniformed and plain-clothes officers to target those displaying predatory behaviour.

It was initially successfully piloted by Thames Valley Police in Oxford last year and aims to prevent sexual assaults happening before they take place.

Not only does the visible policing presence act as a deterrent and provide additional reassurance, but the officers also follow guidance from the National Crime Agency to identify people who are out socialising in our bars and nightclubs and are displaying predatory behaviour.

This includes harassing others, loitering without reason and stalking behaviour.

The idea is that these officers can then take action, to intervene before a crime is committed.

The licensees and local authorities in Swindon and Wiltshire have been very supportive of this approach and will be carrying dedicated messaging over the coming weeks to support the campaign.

I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all victims of sexual assaults to make sure they report these incidents to the police, so that we can not only investigate, but also ensure they receive the appropriate support and care after such a traumatic and distressing experience.

You can do this by contacting Wiltshire Police on 101, going to our website to get access to important links.

Or you can call the Swindon and Wiltshire Sexual Assault Referral Centre 24/7 on 01793 781917.

NOTE: This column was written before the sentencing in the Sarah Everard murder case on Thursday