"This is not acceptable": New police operation launched to tackle harassment of runners in Sheffield
“No one should feel like they can't exercise because they are scared of being shouted at”
A new operation dedicated to tackling harassment towards women who run around the city has been set up by South Yorkshire Police.
It will be coordinated by neighbourhood policing officers in the Sheffield South West area, and focuses on building up an “intelligence picture” based on experiences of women who run in the area.
Officers will be engaging with local running groups and collecting information around routes, asking whether anyone has been a victim of harassment while running. This data will then be collected and used in planning problem solving activity around violence against women and girls (VAWG).
PC Georgia Harrison, a neighbourhood officer from Sheffield South West, set up the operation as she is a runner herself and “gets harassed all the time”.
In a post from SYP’s Facebook, she explained why a dedicated operation is so important.
She said: “I wanted to set up an operation tackling the harassment of runners especially female runners, because I feel like they’re disproportionately targeted.
“Depending on kind of what form the harassment takes, there’s a few different relevant offences. Shouting really sexual things at you - that is a possible public order offence.”
The operation will incorporate new legislation under the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023, which states that it is a criminal offence to intentionally cause harassment, alarm, or distress to someone based on their sex or presumed sex.
Neighbourhood Inspector Amy Mellor from the Sheffield South West Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "No one should feel like they can't exercise because they are scared of being shouted at, or having their appearance commented on.
“We are so lucky to have access to so many open and green spaces, not only in this area of Sheffield, but across the whole of the city. Women have the right to feel safe in these spaces and use them for activity such as running without fear."
South Yorkshire Police highlighted the reality for some women, stating: “No one should feel like they cannot run at a certain time of the day, avoid certain routes, or avoid certain areas due to the fear of being catcalled, have someone beep their horn at them, or worse.”
They highlighted research conducted by Runner’s World and Women’s Health in 2021, which showed that 25% of women experience sexual harassment on a run regularly, stating it is “not acceptable”.
Inspector Mellor added: “It is the reality that women experience threating behaviour when they are doing usual day-to-day things such as exercise. This is not acceptable.
“Catcalling and beeping your car horn is not harmless fun or banter. The new legislation allows to us investigate reported incidents and ultimately prosecute offenders.
“This operation is also centred around raising awareness of what is against the law, and how women can report incidents to the police so we can act.”