In Surrey, U.K., police are taking action to address the fear and discomfort faced by female runners. With local news outlet LBC tagging along, two female officers laced up in running gear and hit known harassment hotspots, posing as joggers and working to stop the increasing number of incidents of women being catcalled, harassed or followed while running.
@lbc Plain-clothed officers in running kit are hitting harassment hotspots. #lbc #jogging #joggers #undercover #police #crime #catcalling ♬ original sound – LBC
Backup police units waited nearby, ready to intervene if an incident occurred. Within minutes, the two undercover officers were targeted: two vehicles honked, with the driver of one making gestures as he passed.
Abby Hayward, one of the undercover officers, told media, “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 that.”
She called the rise in violence against women and girls “horrendous,” saying the behaviour “is either a precursor to something more serious, or it’s ignorance–and it’s fixable.”
John Vale, lead for Violence Against Women and Girls Safer Spaces in Surrey, said even non-criminal acts need to be addressed. “Slowing down, staring, shouting–it can have a huge impact on people’s everyday lives and can stop women from doing something as simple as going for a run.”
“The people that are likely to commit those kinds of behaviours may go on to commit more serious offences,” he continued. “We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early.”
Last month, Surrey police made 18 arrests in similar operations. But Vale says the initiative isn’t just about catching offenders–it’s also about deterrence. “You don’t know if the woman you’re harassing is a police officer,” he said. “And that’s the point–we want people to think twice before acting like this.”
Women runners are more afraid than ever
While not every case leads to an arrest, officers always still step in with a warning or serious conversation to make clear the behaviour won’t be tolerated. Per reports, two men in a vehicle apologized after being stopped for harassing the undercover officers. “It meant a lot,” Hayward said. “It shows this operation is working. We’re out here making change happen.”
Local police are also encouraging people to report harassment hotspots or unsafe areas using the anonymous StreetSafe tool.
