British police send out undercover joggers to catch cat callers

A female police officer volunteered to run in plain clothes to catch cat callers.

PC Abby Hayward volunteered to run in plain clothes as part of Surrey police's Jog On campaign.

The 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 comments.

She said the behviour of cat callers made her 'feel really sort of icky.'

PC Hayward revealed she was honked at twice during her 5 kilometer (3-mile) undercover run.

"When I'm on my own, I don't have the backup. It just ruins my whole run.

"As a young female, when I'm going out, mainly on a jog, it's the staring, the leaning out of the window," said PC Hayward.

Other officers partaking in the scheme said cat calling is an issue that affects them outside of work.

Further, the campaign follows a survey by Surrey County Council which found that while 94% of female residents said they had experienced a form of harassment, nearly half had never reported it.

In July, the BBC followed along the campaign and reported that within 20 minutes, the runners had already experienced harassment.

PC Hayward and the Joog On crew were honked and laughed at by a lorry driver within about 18 minutes of their jog.

The officers were harassed again just 15 seconds later.

"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," she explained.

A Surrey Police spokesperson said no arrests were made as a result of the initiative; however, 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). It uses the same tactics that deal with predatory behaviour in bars, clubs and town centres.

Borough Commander at Surrey Police, Jon Vale, 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."