Arrest as 'man exposes himself to police officer on Southampton Common'

A Southampton man has been arrested after a police officer was flashed on Southampton Common.

Officers were patrolling Southampton Common and Cemetery Lane on Wednesday afternoon after a spate of indecent exposure incidents.

These involved men exposing themselves to lone women, police said.

A plainclothes officer was walking down a footpath when they noticed a man following them, shortly before 3.30pm.

As the officer turned around to speak with the man, it is alleged the man 'indecently exposed himself to the officer for their own sexual gratification', police said.

A 58-year-old man from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of exposure.

He has since been release on conditional bail until October 3, pending further enquiries.

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Police Sergeant Becky Veal said: “We appreciate that recent incidents on the Common and surrounding areas will have caused concern in the community – especially women who have been targeted.

“We will be continuing to patrol in the area to provide reassurance to the local community around their concerns, but to also act as a deterrent to those seeking to cause harm, alarm and distress through committing such acts."

She went on to say: “Our message is clear – we will not tolerate this behaviour in the city.

“It is always our intention to take robust action against those committing such offences and we hope that the swift action to make an arrest on this occasion shows residents that we are committed to tackling these sort of offences.

“If you do see any of our uniformed officers out on patrol, please do stop them and raise any concerns with them.”

This comes after a number of indecent exposure incidents in Southampton Common and Riverside Park in April and at the beginning of May.

Several women were targeted, and police ramped up patrols to find the perpetrator.

However, the force has confirmed yesterday's incident is not being linked to any other indecent exposure in the Southampton area.

The Riverside Park incidents remain under investigation and enquiries are ongoing, a spokesman said.