Night-time staff trained to spot sex offences

Staff working in Jersey’s night-time economy are being trained to recognise and respond to non-contact sexual offences, including harassment, drink-spiking, indecent exposure and up-skirting.

The sessions are led by campaigner Lisa Squire, whose daughter Libby was abducted and murdered in Hull in 2019. She said such offences are often “red flags for escalation” and stressed the importance of staff spotting vulnerability and intervening early.

Community police officer David Bowler said the training helps workers identify predatory behaviour and know when and how to report concerns. Jersey Police added that incidents often dismissed as “low-level” can be stepping stones to more serious crimes.

Figures show violence against women and girls accounts for a quarter of all crime in Jersey, with 153 non-contact offences recorded last year. Pub manager Keith O’Connor said the training was giving staff greater confidence to act, adding: “If something feels wrong, it probably is.”