Home Office expands Project Vigilant as undercover policing steps up to protect women in the night‑time economy

The Home Office is expanding the use of Project Vigilant across nine additional police forces in England and Wales, increasing the number of undercover officers deployed to identify and disrupt predatory behaviour in the night‑time economy. The move marks one of the largest targeted crackdowns on offenders who pose a risk to women and girls in public spaces.

Project Vigilant places specially trained undercover officers in busy night‑time hotspots—such as bar districts, transport hubs and late‑night venues—where they monitor for high‑risk behaviour. Officers look for clear indicators of predatory intent, including:

• Loitering without purpose
• Persistent following
• Unwanted or sexualised contact
• Misogynistic or threatening comments
• Filming women without consent
• Returning to areas after being instructed to leave

When undercover officers identify concerning behaviour, they alert uniformed colleagues who can intervene early, disrupt potential offending and safeguard vulnerable individuals before harm occurs.

The Home Office is providing £1 million in new funding to support more than 200 additional deployments across Kent, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire, Essex, South Wales, Staffordshire, Merseyside, Cumbria and West Midlands Police.

These forces join Thames Valley, Wiltshire and Norfolk, which already operate Project Vigilant with government support.

The expansion forms part of the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, which frames the issue as a national emergency and includes a commitment to halve such violence within a decade.

Funding will also allow forces to:

• Trial new technology
• Improve data analysis
• Upgrade communications equipment
• Strengthen specialist officer training

Thames Valley Police, which pioneered Project Vigilant in 2019, has already trialled spiking detection dogs capable of identifying drugs such as GHB and MDMA—even when diluted in drinks. These dogs work alongside plainclothes officers to intercept substances before they enter venues and to support investigations after incidents.

Between July 2021 and September 2023, Thames Valley officers stopped 532 men during Vigilant deployments, with 35% later identified as suspects in violence against women and girls offences, including rape and exposure.