Detectives have revealed increasing numbers of women are trying to get drunken lifts home from strangers after a series of late-night incidents in Northampton.
Northamptonshire Police have today said increasing numbers of women are trying to get lifts home from passing cars and have even be known to get straight into strange vehicles after spending their money on booze.
One incident saw a girl “grabbed” after a driver told her he was a taxi driver.
Detective Inspector Ally White, from the criminal investigation department, said: “We are noticing an increasing trend of young vulnerable women, who are getting drunk, not having any money left at the end of the night and simply asking for lifts home from either strangers or vehicles that they believe to be taxis but haven’t pre-booked.
“We want to highlight the dangerous situation young women may be placing themselves in by not pre-booking a cab. They are in a position of vulnerability, placing themselves in a confined space with a stranger who dictates where the vehicle goes and for how long.
“Of course, not all cases involve women who have had too much to drink and we want to highlight this to people. This Saturday for example two teenagers were waiting for a taxi after leaving a house party in Roade. They spotted a car parked up and asked if it was the taxi, the driver replied he was and when the girls became suspicious he grabbed one of them by the arm. They pulled away and ran. The genuine taxi later arrived.
“We want to ask people who are out and about, enjoying themselves, to just be mindful.”
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