Two arrested as police continue to tackle male violence against women and girls

Two men arrested following the launch of a proactive operation which aims to target perpetrators who are violent towards women and girls.

Operation Bourneville launched on Tuesday (2 May) and is the latest proactive operation dedicated to tackling Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG).

The operation will see special resources deployed to incidents such as domestic abuse, stalking and harassment, sexual offences; all crime types which disproportionally affect women. 

To highlight the need for such an operation in Bedfordshire, between April 2022 and March 2023 there were 3,131 recorded MVAWG offences.

The operation will cover a number of hotspot locations across the county, and will also include a number of high visibility patrols and community engagements.

Last week marked Stalking and Harassment Awareness week where Bedfordshire Police took the opportunity to break down myths and raise awareness of these crime types.

The force’s proactive domestic abuse arrest car saw four suspects arrested for domestic related incidents during this week.

As well as targeting perpetrators, pupils at Putteridge High School in Luton received an assembly on public sexual harassment. The assembly was delivered by Luton All Women’s Centre, and is part of an education toolkit created by the Safer Streets initiative, which has Home Office funding for projects relating to violence against women and girls.

The force recently hosted a live webinar which saw more than 170 members of the public ask their questions around stalking and harassment and break down any misconceptions.

Superintendent Rachael Glendenning said: “We are trailing this proactive MVAWG operation as a way of responding to crimes such as rape and sexual offences, stalking and domestic abuse, all of which disproportionately affect women.

“In Bedfordshire we have a zero tolerance approach to these offences, and as a force we remain committed to tackling MVAWG and breaking down the confidence of perpetrators and seeking justice.

“We will also work tirelessly to better support and safeguarding our victims, and we will work to educate people about the early signs and behaviours as well as give people the confidence to speak out.”

Find out more about what we are doing to tackle Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG).

Bedfordshire Police remain committed to tackling all forms of abuse, supporting victims of any gender, and seek to bring to justice female offenders of any crimes and take these reports just as seriously.

Anyone wishing to report any instance of male violence against women and girls can get in touch with the police on 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.