Eighteen people have been arrested after a police force sent out female undercover officers posing as joggers to catch men harassing women while they are out exercising.
A pilot operation from Surrey police deployed female officers in running gear during rush hour to expose how often women are harassed. The pilot has resulted in 18 arrests for offences such as harassment, sexual assault and theft.
Insp Jon Vale, Surrey’s violence against women and girls safer spaces lead, said a survey found almost half of female runners in one area of the county did not report harassment to the police.
He said catcalling was “far too common”, with off-duty female officers and staff members experiencing this behaviour. Although it is not a specific criminal offence, catcalling is known to sometimes escalate to more serious sexual offending.
The month-long trial, which was first reported by LBC, involved plainclothes officers volunteering to jog in sports gear through areas identified as harassment hotspots, with nearby specialist units ready to intervene if they faced abuse. Uniformed officers are also working with community groups to share insight into the force’s work to tackle violence against women and girls.
Vale told LBC that the aim was to deter offenders. “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.
“Someone slowing down, staring, shouting, even if it’s not always criminal, it 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.
In a statement, he added: “To date, we have made a number of interventions following reports of harassment of our plainclothes runners. In these cases, it was deemed appropriate to provide education around antisocial behaviour.
“For repeat offenders or where the behaviour is more serious, we will robustly pursue all criminal justice outcomes. We recognise this is a significant worry for women and girls, and we’ll continue to patrol running routes.”
PC Abby Hayward, who went undercover, said her experience reflected a daily reality for women.
“This behaviour is either a precursor to something more serious, or it’s ignorance and it’s fixable. That’s where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they’re doing isn’t OK,” she said.
Surrey police said they had developed the pilot out of work installing plainclothes police officers in bars, clubs and town centres at night to spot predatory behaviour and combat harassment.
Other forces have considered unconventional methods to reduce catcalling. The Metropolitan police offered a buddy system in which officers joined groups from a women’s running club in London in response to concerns about the harassment of members.
A study last year by the University of Manchester found that more than two-thirds of women surveyed in north-west England had experienced harassment while running, including threats, verbal abuse and having objects thrown at them. Women told the researchers that they no longer report abuse to the police as it had become an “everyday occurrence”.
A separate study last year by Sport England suggested almost three-quarters of women changed their exercise routine during the winter months.
