Nightclub boss speaks out after upskirting data revealed

Upskirting is a form of voyeurism where someone uses a camera or phone to take photos or videos underneath a person's clothes without their permission.

The offence was outlawed as illegal in both England and Wales in 2019.

The figures released by Wiltshire Police reveal that six upskirting crimes were recorded in the county between 2021 and 2022 with three incidents each year.

David Kearns has been the general manager at Power Lounge for two years and shared a local insight into the problems faced in nightclubs.

There were six cases of upskirting in Wiltshire between 2021 and 2022 (file photo). (Image: Getty)

“I’ve been in and around the Swindon night scene for 15 years and I actually think the problems have always been here and a lot worse in the past,” he said.

“It’s because of nightclubs actively doing things that we are now catching people as we have training that deals with drugs, attitudes and everything we need to look out for.

“Staff are fully trained with the national initiative Ask Angela to help those who feel that they are in danger.

“Due to this we have caught multiple people and that doesn’t mean that we are hotspot for it but it means we are a hotspot for catching it.”

Spiking also remains a problem in nightclubs (file photo). (Image: Getty)

The 36-year-old believes that those going to venues are in the dark over the initiatives in place and has encouraged clubbers to contact staff immediately if needed.

“We know about these schemes to help people as do the police but the general public don’t,” said Dave.

“That is where there is a lot of failure at the moment because we can put out as many posters up as we want but when people go out for a drink, they’re not paying attention to that stuff.

“Come and speak to us because we are not just there to serve drinks and make money, we want a good environment.

Inside Power Lounge in Swindon.

“Don’t feel like you can be threatened and or like you can be touched up, we will deal with it straight away.”

Wiltshire Police DCI Gemma Vinton said: “Women deserve to be able to walk down the street and go about their daily business without having to worry about perpetrators taking photographs of them.  

“Upskirting is a crime, it is a significant invasion of privacy, and it is completely inappropriate.  

“Please do report it to us if you experience this behaviour so that we can identify perpetrators and hold them to account for their criminality.”