Latest news with #AbbyHayward
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Extra.ie
New police campaign launched to catch people harassing female runners
A new police initiative is underway in a bid to clamp down on the harassment of female runners. Female members of Surrey Police have gone undercover in running hotspots as part of the new campaign, Jog On. The campaign comes following a study released this year that revealed 94% of more than 450 female residents surveyed had been subject to harassment in some form. A new police initiative is underway in a bid to clamp down on the harassment of female runners. Pic: Getty Images The report, which was carried out by Surrey County Council, added that almost half (49%) never reported the incident to police. PC Abby Hayward is among the women going undercover, and revealed that she was honked at on two occasions during a 5km run. Speaking to BBC, PC Hayward admitted the catcalling often 'ruins my whole run.' PC Abby Hayward is among the women going undercover, and revealed that she was honked at one two occasions during a 5km run. Pic: Getty Images She said: 'As a young female, when I'm going out, mainly on a jog, it's the staring, the leaning out of the window. It's not funny. 'I can't really put it into words, other than it just makes me feel horrible. It shows how prevalent it is and how worthwhile this operation is.' The people who had subjected the officers to harassment were stopped and were educated on street-based harassment. The people who had subjected the officers to harassment were stopped and were educated on street-based harassment. Pic: Getty Images Inspector Jon Vale previously noted that the harassment of women was 'not welcome' in the area. He said: 'We have female officers and staff members who have been the subject to such behaviour when off duty. 'Please reflect and ask yourself, 'Is this how you would treat or want you partner, mother or sister to be treated?'' More recently, the borough commander at Surrey Police admitted there was a 'big information gap' on the issue, which he said was 'significantly under reported.' 'It is about engaging with the public and asking them to report their concerts to us, whether that be directly to us, on our website or whether it be via reporting tools such as Street Safe,' he said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
A jogger in San Antonio, Tex., runs at dusk in this photo from July. Undercover female police officers in the U.K. have been posing as joggers for the last month, running in areas identified as high-risk.
Female runners are often told to run in groups, run with a dog, run in a well-lit area, run without earbuds, run with a whistle, run with tech, run varied routes, and — despite the fact all this advice might make them even more fearful — to also run assertively, standing tall and swinging their arms with purpose to not appear vulnerable. As experts have previously pointed out, there's a lot of onus on women to stay safe in public spaces. And that's likely part of why a new police campaign in the U.K., which is aimed at stopping people from harassing women runners in the first place, is getting so much attention. For the last month, undercover female police officers in Surrey, a county in southeastern England, have been posing as joggers in areas identified as high-risk. If they experience harassment, including cat-calling or sexually suggestive comments, a support team steps in. "The change I'd like to see is for people to recognize that it's not right. It's not just a small act. It's a thing that can make someone feel really quite uncomfortable," said Const. Abby Hayward, one of the officers who went undercover, in an Instagram video posted by Surrey Police. CBC News has contacted Surrey Police and has not heard back. But according to local news outlet LBC News, Surrey Police made 18 arrests in the last month in its operations, including the jogging patrols, to tackle violence against women and girls. "One of our officers was honked at within 10 minutes," Surrey Insp. Jon Vale, who runs the operation, told LBC News on Wednesday. "Then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later. That's how frequent it is." The initiative has made headlines around the world and elicited strong reactions online. But amid a wave of both praise and criticism, with the U.K.'s Free Speech Union reportedly calling it a "bizarre social-psychology experiment," some experts say the campaign misses the point and raises new concerns. "I don't want to downplay how unpleasant or scary these moments can be, especially for joggers who just want to stay in the zone without dealing with obnoxious men," Ummni Khan, an associate law professor at Carleton University in Ottawa who researches gender, sexuality and the law, told CBC News. "But I worry about directing resources this way ... [and] reinforcing stereotypes of who is 'dangerous.'" Women frequently engage in 'safety work' on runs Running is arguably one of the most rewarding physical activities, with time spent outdoors, a sense of personal accomplishment and a supportive community cheering you to push just a little faster or tiny bit further. But for many women, the rewards are tempered by the potential risks. An empirical study published in May in the British Journal of Criminology, for instance, found "high levels of abuse" reported by female runners, ranging from verbal comments to being physically and sexually assaulted. "Although women rarely report incidents to the police, their frequent experiences lead to the normalization of abuse, high levels of fear and women runners engaging in significant 'safety work' in order to avoid such intrusions," wrote the authors. WATCH | Many women report they're afraid to run on trails: Another recent U.K. survey found that 70 per cent of women said they experienced an intimidating incident while jogging, such as being followed or honked at. An Adidas survey in 2023 found that 92 per cent of 4,500 women in nine countries reported feeling concerned for their safety when they go for a run. According to Statistics Canada data released in 2019, one in three women reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour in public. And survey data released by the Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF) last summer found that just 32 per cent of women said they felt safe walking or running on or in a recreational trail, park or forest, compared to 61 per cent of men. It's a fact that women are disproportionately affected by gendered violence, said Jean Ketterling, an assistant professor in the women's and gender studies program at the University of Saskatchewan, and a runner herself. While the Surrey Police campaign doesn't put the onus on women to prevent violence against themselves by changing their behaviour, Ketterling also doesn't think it's going to be particularly effective. That's in part because it doesn't address the deeper issues, she said. "It focuses on individual perpetrators, not the structural conditions that make such violence quotidian, especially in intimate and family relationships," Ketterling said. "While I agree that education is an important part of the solution, I want to see resources go to quality, comprehensive sexual health education done in classrooms by trained and well-resourced educators." The problem with 'catching' harassers Surrey Police explained in a news release that harassment is significantly under-reported. Insp. Jon Vale said they'd already made a "number of interventions following reports of harassment of our plainclothes runners." "The next time you see a female jogger, just think, they could be a police officer with colleagues nearby ready to stop you. Your behaviour is not welcome in Surrey," he said. And many people online have expressed enthusiasm for the campaign. "We need this! I've had two catcalls this week while out," wrote a commenter on a recent Instagram post from Canadian Running Magazine.. "Police everywhere: make this a widespread practice, please. So much violent stranger crime against women originates in men following and harassing women in the wild," wrote Elle Kamihira, a women's rights podcast producer, on X. WATCH | Victoria's Queer running club aims to race past exclusion: Khan, with Carleton University, said catcalling or street interactions can be experienced as deeply invasive, frightening and unwelcome. But she has concerns about the approach of using undercover police to "catch harassers," explaining that these kinds of interventions risk disproportionately targeting lower-income and racialized men, as well as reinforcing "stranger danger" narratives. Plus, some people may come from places or contexts where greeting one another in public is considered friendly, she added, and women might interpret encounters in a variety of ways based on race, class, identity and past experiences. "A 'good morning,' a compliment, solicitation for a date and even a hateful epithet all get lumped into a single category of harassment," Khan said. "It's reductionist, to say the least."
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Surrey Police crack down on jogging harassment and catcalling
A female police officer who volunteered to run in plain clothes to catch catcallers has said their behaviour "makes me feel really sort of icky".PC Abby Hayward, who works for Surrey Police, said she was honked at twice during a 5km (3-mile) undercover force's Jog On campaign sees female police officers running in targeted locations, with uniformed officers on hand nearby to deal with perpetrators who catcall or shout sexually suggestive Hayward said: "When I'm on my own, I don't have the backup. It just ruins my whole run." She added: "As a young female, when I'm going out, mainly on a jog, it's the staring, the leaning out of the window."Other officers involved in the scheme said it is an issue that affects them outside of campaign also comes after a Surrey County Council survey found that while 94% of female residents asked said they had experienced a form of harassment, nearly half said they had never reported it. 'It's not funny' The BBC spent time with Surrey Police during the Jog On campaign in July, and within 20 minutes, the runners had already experienced Hayward said that, after getting honked and laughed at by a lorry driver within about 18 minutes and stopping to speak to him, the officers were then harassed again just 15 seconds after restarting their run. She said: "It's not funny. I can't really put it into words, other than it just makes me feel horrible."It shows how prevalent it is and how worthwhile this operation is."The two people who harassed the runners were educated on street-based harassment and moved on.A Surrey Police spokesperson said no arrests have specifically been made as a result of the initiative, but that drivers had been stopped to be educated about their behaviour. Jog On is part of a wider commitment to tackle public space violence against women and girls (VAWG) and uses the same tactics that are in place to deal with predatory behaviour in bars, clubs and town Vale, Borough Commander at Surrey Police, said: "It's a big information gap at the moment. We know having spoken to staff that this is an issue for us locally. We know that it's a significantly under-reported issue nationally as well."So part of it for me is getting a much better understanding of this crime type as we move forward. "It is about engaging with the public and asking them to report their concerns to us, whether that be directly to us, on our website or whether it be via reporting tools such as Street Safe."
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
British cops wore jogging outfits to elicit catcalls and then arrested some men who hit on them: report
From catcalls to the doghouse. Female cops in England went undercover as joggers, wearing tight-fitting clothes in a bid to elicit catcalls — and then arrested some of the men who hit on them, according to a report. The Surrey Police Department created a trial task force, which lasted about a month, and led to 18 arrests for offenses like sexual assault, harassment, and theft, the Telegraph reported. The female officers were sent during rush hour to 'hot spots' where open sexual harassment of women is commonplace and pretended to be joggers, the report stated. 'One of our officers was honked at within 10 minutes — then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later — that's how frequent it is,' Inspector Jon Vale of SPD told the outlet. One of the officers in the group said the harassment she faced during the trial period reflects her everyday experience in Surrey. '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 recognized as such,' Officer Abby Hayward told the Telegraph. 'This behavior is either a precursor to something more serious — or it's ignorance and it's fixable,' the cop said. 'That's where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they're doing isn't OK.' Critics of the program include the Free Speech Union, which said the tactic was a 'bizarre social-psychology experiment,' and that police should enforce the laws on the books, according to the outlet. Originally published as British cops wore jogging outfits to elicit catcalls and then arrested some men who hit on them: report
7NEWS
5 days ago
- 7NEWS
Catcalling crackdown: Undercover police officers target harassment hotspots, Surrey, UK
Cat-calling culprits might think twice before yelling out, honking or making gestures at women out for a run, as they might be undercover cops. They look like your average evening joggers — pounding the pavement in running gear, headphones on, dodging the post-work rush. But in Surrey this month, some of those female runners have been carrying more than water bottles. They've been packing badges. As part of a new 'Jog On' campaign, undercover police officers are hitting the streets in a bid to expose the harassment faced by women simply trying to go for a run. Two female officers took to known 'harassment hotspots' in Reigate during rush hour, wearing plain athletic gear but backed by specialist units lurking nearby, ready to intervene. It didn't take long. Within ten minutes, a man in a large truck honked and made gestures out of the window. Thirty seconds later, another vehicle slowed down, beeping and leering. 'That's how frequent it is,' Inspector John Vale told reporters from LBC, who joined the operation. 'Someone slowing down, staring, shouting, even if it's not always criminal, it can have a huge impact on people's everyday lives. It stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run.' Police admit much of the behaviour they encounter — honks, shouts, lingering stares — doesn't always meet the threshold for criminal charges. But the campaign is designed to draw a line in the sand before harassment escalates into something more sinister. The force says it has already made 18 arrests in the past four weeks for offences ranging from sexual assault to theft, with many more 'educational interventions' for less severe incidents. PC Abby Hayward, one of the undercover runners, said the harassment is so common, it's almost background noise. 'It's something many women experience every day,' she said. 'It needs to be addressed.' A Surrey County Council survey of 450 women earlier this year found 49 per cent never reported incidents like catcalling, a stat police say underscores the need for proactive patrols. Critics of the program include the Free Speech Union, which said the tactic was a 'bizarre social-psychology experiment,' and that police should enforce the laws on the books, according to the outlet. With some commenting, 'So it's not actually a crime, but you've assigned a large amount of resources to try and stop it? Why not assign those officers to dealing with domestic abuse or doesn't that look as good on Insta?' But Inspector Vale is unapologetic. 'We have female officers and staff who've been targeted when they're off duty,' he said. 'The message is clear: your actions will not be tolerated. The next time you see a female jogger, just think she could be a police officer with colleagues nearby, ready to stop you.' Surrey Police plans to keep the trainers on and the campaign running a warning to anyone who thinks catcalling is just a harmless pastime.
