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Police confiscate cars from men for challenging women to jog who were undercover officers in disguise trying to confront harassment.
As part of an initiative aimed at ensuring women feel safe during exercises, officers took away four cars. The study found that 60 percent of women feel intimidated when they go for a run.
West Yorkshire Police, in cooperation with other authorities, has undercover police officers posing as runners.
We hope men will “think twice” about calling cats and making inappropriate comments towards women exercising, especially when cars drive by.
The council said six operations had been carried out since March under the JogOn initiative to catch men, and said it was “clear” that many people did not even consider such behavior to be harassment.
One of the detained men even tried to justify himself by saying that he was “encouraging women to escape.”
Two runners speak to Bradford Police officers in a campaign video
A group of women running in the Bradford countryside
Many women feel fear and intimidation and look for alternative running routes or changes to their running times to avoid cat calls, offensive comments and physical harassment.
The runners said they accepted this as the norm and did not report it to the police because they felt it would not be taken seriously or that no action would be taken.
Police deployed female officers in civilian clothes to jog or jog through “hot spots.”
Bradford Council can also enforce its public spaces protection order, which prohibits anti-social use of vehicles and includes “shouting, swearing, abusing, threatening or intimidating another person – including using sexual language or making sexual suggestions” from a vehicle.
Offenders can receive a fixed penalty notice or a fine of £1,000.
A survey by Runners World magazine found that 60 percent of female runners had experienced harassment, mostly from men in cars
Chief Inspector Beth Pagnillo, of Bradford District Police, claims she was harassed during the training exercise
A group of parkrunners (pictured). Police officers will visit runners in the park and conduct talks to encourage women to report incidents of harassment
Members of the running club are also offered “Active witnesses” training, thanks to which witnesses will be able to intervene when an event happens before their eyes.
Chief Inspector Beth Pagnillo, of Bradford District Police, said: “People may feel that such behavior is not worth reporting, but we want to make it clear that such behavior and incidents can be reported, reviewed and investigated and will not be tolerated.
“Thanks to the PSPO in Bradford, this type of behavior can be reported, which could lead to a breach of PSPO rules and a crime being committed.
“The enforcement, education and engagement efforts through JogOn allow us to join forces to work in partnership to address these behaviors, encouraging runners across the district to report such behavior, but preventing incidents from happening in the first place.”
Councilor Abdul Jabar, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for Neighborhoods and Social Safety, said: “No woman should feel unsafe or intimidated when running. Harassing and abusive behavior is completely unacceptable and we will take action against anyone who behaves in this way.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “The safety of women and girls is at the heart of our mission for safer and fairer lives in West Yorkshire.
“We should all be able to enjoy the benefits that exercise can bring without fear of harassment or harassment.
“Our message remains absolutely clear – such behavior is unacceptable. The Jog On campaign reaffirms our commitment to this message and is a fantastic example of the power of partnerships working to improve the safety of women and girls.”
