Undercover police to patrol by clubs and bars in Norwich

The plain-clothed officers have been trained to spot suspicious behaviour and aim to "detect and disrupt" sexual violence towards women and girls.

The patrols will not be announced beforehand and will take place during the lead-up to the busy Christmas period and beyond.

READ MORE: City property shut down amid spate of anti-social behaviour

Police patrolling Prince of Wales Road in Norwich (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

Named Project Vigilant, it will focus on tackling harassment, cat-calling and serious sexual offences often targeted at vulnerable women.

Norwich chief inspector Edward Brown said: “We are piloting the project which will place the focus on those committing offences in the night-time economy and protecting women and girls.

“As party season means more people want to go out and enjoy a night out in Norwich we want to provide reassurance and call out inappropriate behaviours which lead to women feeling unsafe.

“We would also urge staff at venues and the public to report behaviours such as harassment to the police.”

READ MORE: Man in his 20s arrested over city store arson

The initiative will begin on White Ribbon Day (November 25) which aims to highlight how harmful masculine traits are to the root of violence against women.

Sergeant Gary Owen, who is managing the project operationally, said: “This project allows us to observe the behaviour of people and pick up on behaviours and actions which may look suspicious.

“Our plain clothes officers are trained to notice potentially harmful behaviours and can then pass the information to our uniformed colleagues to follow up.

"By using these different skills, perpetrators are more likely to be identified and caught in the act.

“Officers can engage in a conversation, give words of advice or take positive actions such as removing that person from the night-time economy through a banning order or through arrest.”