A Saturday night in December makes one of Kent’s busiest high streets a magnet for large groups of rowdy men hitting the pubs and clubs.

Reporter Brad Harper joined the police on patrol in Canterbury to see how volatile an evening out can be for women anxious about their safety...

A small room packed with about a dozen officers fell silent as Sgt Lee Thompson told how violence against women is a “significant contributor” to demands on policing.

As the softly-spoken officer addressed the room at Canterbury Police Station ahead of one of the busiest nights of the year, my eyes turned to his presentation – a montage of rapists, stalkers and flashers firmly on the force’s radar.

These are the type of men Sgt Thompson wants to stop in their tracks well before they have the chance to offend.

He and his officers are doing this through Operation Vigilant – a special mission to find men displaying signs of predatory behaviour, such as sexual harassment, inappropriate touching and loitering.

Plain-clothes officers sensing something awry alert dedicated uniformed colleagues who stop potential perpetrators to discourage and disrupt this behaviour, which may include arrest.

One undercover officer told me their plain clothes make it easier to keep tabs on people at close quarters.

“A lot of the time, [perpetrators] will hang outside clubs and pubs by themselves on their phone,” he said.

“They will be out of place, not there for the night out, as such, while loitering and approaching women and vulnerable people.

“We are looking out for people going up to those who are drunk, so we can engage with them.”

Following the briefing, I headed out to the city centre with PCs Liam Wratten and Simon Reed.

It was incredibly lively as punters spilt out onto the streets at 8.30pm.

Many shouted “‘ello, ‘ello, ‘ello” as the officers walked past Canterbury’s many pubs and bars.

However, the response to the force being in the city was positive, with many people interacting with officers and sharing a joke.

As we walked through the city’s streets, some revellers staggered along the cobblestone paths.

Some men drunkenly belted the chorus of “Hey! Baby” while others donned sports shirts and slurred the words to unintelligible football chants.

It’s little wonder some women thinking of enjoying a night out before Christmas find the prospect daunting.

“People often say they feel a bit scared in town,” PC Simon Reed tells me.

“There are large groups who are quite boisterous after a few beers and can be intimidating.”

Operation Vigilant is aimed at combating the issue and involves a specialist team of uniformed and plain-clothes officers carrying out patrols near nightclubs, bars and pubs.

The night before I joined officers on patrol, they had seen a 20-year-old man approaching women in the city's high street.

Accused of making inappropriate comments, he found himself arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.

That same evening undercover officers spotted a group of boys making lewd remarks in Dane John Gardens.

The boys were challenged by uniformed officers and warned they risked arrest if they did not leave the area, which they all did, getting a bus home.

As we walked, the officers spoke to doormen and explained the Operation Vigilant scheme, which some are already aware of.

PCs Reed and Wratten say they identified areas in the city during their training where vulnerable people could be targeted.

“We marked those areas, and it is often dark streets out of the way,” PC Reed says.

“Often Dane John gets a bad name, but it is actually areas nobody goes into, such as further south in Canterbury, near Toddler’s Cove.

“It has changed the way we patrol and we are looking at statistics for where the offences take place.

“Working in coalition with the universities, they say a lot of incidents happen in its grounds.”

Last year, a survey by Matthew Scott, the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), found many crimes against women go unrecorded.

Less than 37% of respondents who had been victims of crimes ranging from sexual offences, stalking and drink spiking reported it.

Many women I spoke to throughout the night told me they do not feel safe in Canterbury.

Leah Smith, 24, says more security guards and police would “help a lot” with safety when there is a large male presence in the city.

“As the night goes on, a lot of people get drunk and it is not as nice,” she said.

“The culture of drinking and safety has gone downhill over the years.

“Sometimes I feel safe but at this time of year, no, as I feel there is a drinking culture.

“As a female, men feel they can do more and get away with it.”

Julie Barton, 60, says she does not feel safe in the city centre.

“We would never be alone and would make sure there were two of us,” she said.

Her pal Jo Horn, 59, added: “In a group, we would [feel safe], but singly we would not.”

Vanessa Hayes, 36, believes there are safety issues in Canterbury.

“I do feel women feel they have to think about the way they are going to get home,” she said.

“It is a Saturday night and pre-Christmas where everyone is very drunk.

“Last weekend, I had a few drinks in town and felt fine.

“I realised it was a little later than I would normally stay out so felt compelled to get a taxi and I only live 10 minutes down the road.

“Not to slam taxis, but I was only going to St Martin’s and it was £12, which could be a massive barrier for people. It took three minutes to get home.”

Lily Siddle and pal Bella Clague, both 19, say they would only feel safe if they were with someone else.

“I make sure my phone is charged, my drink is in my hand at all times, and I have a route home,” Ms Siddle said.

“There are drunk men who shout things they think are funny, but they’re not.

“You cannot say anything back as they think you want to talk to them, so you have to walk past.”

However, Cerise Harriss says she does feel safe in the city.

“It is a very popular city and there is a lot of security,” the 38-year-old said.

“I do not always see the police, but there are a lot of doormen.

“I always make sure people know where I’m going and when I am leaving.

“We always try to stay together in groups too.”

The specialist officers are deployed at various locations throughout the county and also engage with vulnerable people to offer advice about keeping themselves safe.

Hopefully, this new scheme, with more of a visible police presence on our streets will help women feel safer while on a night out.

But it is clear from my conversations with females of all ages that there is a lot still to be done to improve confidence.