Project Vigilant: what are the measures Boris Johnson announced?

Plainclothes police officers could patrol bars and nightclubs around the country as part of plans to protect women from “predatory” offenders.

Following a meeting of the government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce chaired by the prime minister, Downing Street said it was taking a series of “immediate steps” to improve security.

Among them is to roll-out across the country pilots of a programme where uniformed and plainclothes officers seek to actively identify predatory and suspicious offenders at night.

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Dubbed Project Vigilant, the programme can involve officers attending areas around clubs and bars undercover, along with increased police patrols as people leave at closing time.

Other steps unveiled by Downing Street include a doubling to £45m of the Safer Streets fund, which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV.

It also said ministers were committed to working with police forces and with police and crime commissioners to ensure the measures were more focused on preventing sexual violence. Boris Johnson said it could mean siting measures in parks and routes used by women on their walks home.