Police have been working with venues across the city as well as Southampton City Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Reduction Unit, Yellow Door, The Hampton Trust, Solent University, University of Southampton and Street Pastors to ensure that they can protect people in the city and identify perpetrators.

Their role includes dealing with assaults, often fuelled by excess alcohol, and moving quickly to identify those suspected of committing sexual offences, or displaying unwanted or predatory behaviour towards women.

Southampton District Commander, Chief Inspector Ricky Dhanda said: “We are working really hard in Southampton so that people who choose to go out and socialise on the weekends can do so safely.

“We know weekends will be busy and we always ensure we have enough officers on duty on those nights to keep people safe, whether that’s dealing with assaults, or protecting women from unwanted behaviour.

“The vast majority of people who go out on the weekends do so to have fun, but there are incidents that occur that we need to deal with robustly so that others are able to enjoy their evenings in Southampton without fear of harassment, sexual violence or being made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe."

If you have been affected by an unwanted sexual experience, contact Yellow Door for support on the website at yellowdoor.org.uk or by phone on 02380 636312.

He added: "We have also been working with venues on spotting the signs of drink spiking and given them clear guidance to inform us straight away if an incident is reported to them. In addition, we have invested in urine test kits so that we are able to identify whether someone has been spiked really quickly.

“We take every report of violence and sexual violence seriously and would urge you to call us as soon as you can, via 999 if it is an emergency, so we can take action.”

It comes after police arrested several people this month following a spate of assaults in the city.

In one incident, a man was left with serious head injuries.

At the start of the month, officers arrested two men as part of response to reducing violence against women and girls in Southampton.

A 29-year-old man from Southampton was then arrested for failing to comply with a Section 35 Order and was taken into custody for questioning about his behaviour.

A 42-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of sexual assault. He was questioned by officers and then later released under investigation to allow officers to make follow up enquiries with witnesses and view CCTV.