A NEW rape campaign targeting young men has been launched in Hampshire.

The social media campaign, launched on Monday by Hampshire Constabulary, involves an online game designed to demonstrate to men what constitutes rape and sexual assault.

The ‘Seal the Deal’ YouTube game is played from the perspective of a young man on a night out, and features choices about what to say to women, whether to take no for an answer and when to go home.

The campaign comes after the force saw a 9.5 per cent increase in reports of rape and sexual abuse, up to 695 reports in 2013-14.

The force said Basingstoke is a ‘hotspot’ for such offences, behind only Portsmouth and Southampton, although Southampton was the only place to see an increase in offences.

There were 164 reports of sexual offences in the Basingstoke and Deane area in 2012-13 – the latest figures with a regional breakdown released by the Office for National Statistics. In the same period, Portsmouth had 226 reports, Southampton 285, and Hart just 28.

Detective Chief Inspector Tara Williams said: “This campaign aims to raise the awareness of consent – a person doesn’t have to say ‘no’ to show they don’t want to have sex.

“We are targeting young men as statistically they are more likely to commit an offence. Whether you are 16 and getting drunk at a friend’s party or 28 and heading into town for a few drinks, the message is simple, cross the line and it is rape.”

A series of posters will be placed in men’s toilets in bars and clubs across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.