POLICE have issued assurances over the use of plain clothes officers as part of a pilot operation to tackle sexual offending in Bournemouth.

Following the emergence of details about how Wayne Couzens kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, questions have been asked over many areas of policing.

Couzens, 48, who was a serving Metropolitan Police firearms officer, was off duty on the evening of March 3 when he kidnapped Ms Everard. He used his police warrant card and handcuffs to lure her off the street, exploiting Covid lockdown rules to make a false arrest.

Lord Justice Fulford said the case in which a serving officer abused his position was so exceptional it warranted a whole life order, meaning Couzens will never be freed.

Since August, Dorset Police has been running its pilot Operation Vigilant, which involves uniformed and plain clothes officers being on patrol to identify individuals who may be displaying signs of unacceptable behaviour, such as sexual harassment, inappropriate touching and loitering.

Dorset Police said plain clothes officers will call in a uniformed intervention team when such behaviours are observed.

The Daily Echo asked the force if it had reviewed or assessed Operation Vigilant in light of Ms Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder, with national concerns about trust in police.

Neighbourhood Inspector Darren Harris, of Dorset Police, said: “Op Vigilant is one of the many tactics Dorset Police uses in the identification and safeguarding of the vulnerable in our communities and particularly our busy night-time economy areas.

“The effective delivery of this operation relies on the deployment of plain clothes officers, not only to identify vulnerability, but also people acting suspiciously in communities.

“Police officers engaged on this operation will be in possession of police identification (warrant cards) at all times and police radio. If officers have cause to approach an individual as part of this operation, they will identify themselves and also supply an incident number in relation to Operation Vigilant.

“In line with general advice, if anyone has concerns over the authenticity of someone purporting to be a police officer, they can contact Dorset Police and quote the incident number. Our Force Command Centre will be able to verify the details to provide reassurance.”