Undercover cops pose as joggers to catch catcallers
Police in Surrey, in South East England, sent two female undercover officers running during peak hours to demonstrate how much harassment women faced while jogging.
The social experiment was prompted by a rise in reports from 'harassment hotspots' where women have been followed, approached, and catcalled during their runs.
Plain-clothed officers targeted these locations and went for a jog in running gear, while specialist police units waited nearby in case any abuse occurred.
In the first four weeks, 18 arrests were made for offences including harassment, sexual assault and theft.
In one Surrey town, Reigate, the undercover police quickly realised the scale of the problem, according to British news outlet LBC.
Within minutes, the two officers were targeted when a man in a large truck honked and gestured out the window as he drove past.
'One of our officers was honked at within ten minutes – then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later. That's how frequent it is,' said Surrey Inspector Jon Vale, who runs the operation.
'Someone slowing down, staring, shouting – even if it's not always criminal – can have a huge impact on people's everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run.
'We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early.'
He said the operation was meant to act as a deterrent and a method of early intervention.
'You don't know if the woman you're harassing is a police officer – and that's the point, and we want people to think twice before acting like this,' he said.
However, despite the campaign's goal of protecting women in public spaces, it has faced some criticism.
The Free Speech Union, a non-profit organisation advocating for freedom of expression, called it a 'bizarre social-psychology experiment' and argued officers should focus on enforcing existing laws.
But one of the officers involved in the sting, Police Constable Abby Hayward, said this behaviour affects them even while they're working.
'We get catcalled. We get honked at. People slow down just to stare – or lean out the window to shout something. It's so common, but it's harassment and it needs to be recognised as that,' she said.
'Our interventions aim to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they're doing is not okay.'
On one occasion, two men in a van were stopped by officers after harassing the women, and they eventually apologised on the scene.
'They said sorry to us and it meant a lot as it shows this operation is working – we're out here making change happen,' PC Hayward said.
Street harassment is also a pervasive issue in Australia, particularly for women and girls.
Research revealed almost four in five (78 per cent) of Australian women have experienced street harassment.
That number climbs to 90 per cent for those who consider themselves part of least two minority groups, including First Nations people, people of colour, LGBTQI+ people, people with a very low income, and people with a disability.
Street harassment includes making unwelcome verbal and non-verbal actions in public places that make someone feel uncomfortable, offended, humiliated or intimidated.
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