Undercover police officers in Surrey, England, have started a new campaign to crack down on men catcalling female runners. Two undercover female officers were sent out running at rush hour to show the scale of harassment women are facing. The campaign, however, has been criticized by free speech activists who say police should be focusing on enforcing existing laws. During the operation, plain clothes officers, who were dressed in athletic jogging gear, headed to areas identified as harassment hotspots. Meanwhile, law enforcement units waited nearby to intervene at the first sign of abuse. The female officers were targeted within minutes by a man in a large truck who honked at them and made gestures out the window. "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,” said Inspector John Vale. He went on to say that police have to consider whether that person is going to escalate. What if they’re a sexual offender? One of the undercover officers who posed as a jogger said that catcalling is something many women are subjected to every day, and it’s so common that it needs to be addressed. Police say they have made a number of interventions following reports of harassment of undercover officers. “For repeat offenders or where the behavior is more serious, we will robustly pursue all criminal justice outcomes,” said Inspector Vale.
