Suspected sex offenders and abusers have been rounded up as part of a week-long campaign to clampdown on violent attacks against women.
Armed with a list of wanted men, Cleveland Police targeted a number of suspects wanted from rape and sexual assault on women at the launch of its campaign to tackle the problem of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
Officers arrested a number of suspects across the force area in a series of early morning raids while the force is supporting the Government’s “Enough” campaign to protect women and girls from violence, abuse, misogyny and living in fear.
Temporary Detective Inspector Iain Pearson said the campaign was not just about arresting suspects but it is about raising awareness of the problem and educating people about the impact of crimes against women.
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He said: “This is the start of a week of action dealing with issues of violence against women and girls. This combines a whole range of activities from arresting suspects to educating the wider public and officers about what can be done to support women who are victims of these crimes.
“We are talking about any crimes of violence which range from rape through to up-skirting and stalking.
“We want to make sure that we can be confident for those victims to come forward, they will be listened too and the investigations will be dealt efficiently and proactively.”
The week of action will tackle issues relating to domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, stalking and harassment, the management of sex offenders and ensuring that women can feel safe on nights out and online.
And Detective Superintendent Helen Barker, who headed up the campaign, said: “I want to send out a message to women and girls that as a Force we won’t stand for any form of violence or misogyny against females and to show those suffering that we take a robust approach to stop such abuse and relentlessly pursue perpetrators.
“Abuse takes many forms, it can be emotional, physical, sexual or financial and can be actions or words, online or in person, at home or in public. Any behaviour that embarrasses, demeans, frightens or distresses women and girls is abuse. Enough is enough, it has to stop.
“We would like those who have suffered abuse to report it to us, so that we can do all that we can to stop it and keep you safe. We need to come together as a society to ‘call out’ this behaviour which impacts the lives of so many women and girls, many of which are family members, friends and colleagues.”
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