Female police officers go undercover as joggers to arrest catcallers and it’s left people divided

Once again, women attempting to shine a light on an issue that directly affects them in everyday life have caused more outcry than the actual behaviours perpetrators demonstrate.

Surrey Police sent two undercover officers out jogging in order to highlight the level of catcalling female joggers received, and the experiment has sparked quite the discussion online, with seemingly half the internet calling out the operation as an example of 'entrapment' while the other half hailed it as being an example of 'proactive policing'.

The operation saw two plain-clothed police officers in athletic gear jogging through areas identified as harassment hotspots. Meanwhile, specialist units waited nearby, ready to intervene at the first sign of abuse.

Surrey Police explained that the trial, which lasted a month, resulted in 18 arrests for offences such as harassment, sexual assault, and theft.

At no point, however, did the force claim such behaviours were a crime, with a spokesperson saying: "These behaviours may not be criminal offences in themselves, but they need to be addressed."

Explaining that the issue of catcalling and street harassment is 'far too common', Inspector Jon Vale, of Surrey Police, told LBC that the aim of the op was to deter offenders.

"One of our officers was honked at within 10 minutes – then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later – that’s how frequent it is," he said.

It's information that I'm sure sadly won't shock many women readers.

"Someone slowing down, staring, shouting – even if it’s not always criminal, it can have a huge impact on people’s everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run. We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early."

PC Abi Hayward, who was one of the officers who went undercover, told the outlet that what they found during the operation accurately reflected what many women endure every single day.

"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 recognised as that," she stated, adding that the operation was already having its desired effect, given that it had either caught some offenders or educated those about just how harmful such behaviour can be.

Expertly put, Hayward made the worrying point: "This behaviour is either a precursor to something more serious – or it’s ignorance, and it’s fixable. That’s where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they’re doing isn’t OK.

"The rise in violence against women and girls is real – we’re talking about women being spat at, stalked, harassed while they’re just out on a run – it’s just horrendous."

What are the laws around catcalling in the UK?

While there is no specific legislation in place in the UK against catcalling, such behaviour can sometimes be prosecuted under existing legislation such as the Public Order Act, the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 or the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Meanwhile, the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act - which was entered into law in 2023 - aims to address ‘intentional harassment, alarm or distress to a person in public where the behaviour is done because of that person’s sex, or perceived sex’, and carries a maximum sentence of two years.

'Unbelievable': How have people been reacting to the Surrey Police operation?

Reactions to the Surrey Police operation have been very mixed.

One critic declared: "The UK has fallen. What’s next? Arresting people for social media posts?"

"So creating crime instead of solving real cases - cool," quipped a second.

A third hit out: "So catcalling is now grounds to be arrested? Are you for real? I’m not for catcalling but to be arrested for it as if you just committed a heinous crime? You can’t be serious. I can understand if they were groped or if the men started following them but wow, this is wild. A simple 'hey knock it off. I don’t appreciate your comments.' Would be enough."

The Rape Culture Pyramid, which has been around for a long time now, helps to explain what rape culture is.

At the bottom of the pyramid are sexist attitudes and beliefs, leading up through flashing, groping, and victim-blaming, all the way through to rape.

Catcalling lands on the lower tiers of the pyramid, with the premise being that tolerance of the behaviours at the bottom supports or excuses those higher up.

According to a UN Women UK survey conducted in January 2021, 71 percent of women of all ages say they've experienced sexual harassment in a public space.

Among women aged 18–24, this rate rises to 85–97 percent.

Additionally, A Plan International UK 2018 poll found that 40 percent of girls aged 14–21 faced catcalling or wolf-whistling at least once a month.

As many as 90 percent of British women report their first street harassment before age 17; 71 percent before 15; 10 percent before age 10.

Within school-age groups, 37 percent of girls aged 11–16 and 63 percent of those aged 17–21 experience harassment sometimes or frequently.

Many others, however, rushed in to not only defend the officers' experiment as a means of highlighting just how endemic the issue of street harassment is for women, but to also call out such opinionated critics - many of whose comments were rife with misogyny, littered with 'feminazi' rhetoric along with insults to the officers' appearances.

Some trolls even went as far as to pull the standard 'so will I be arrested if I tell a woman she looks nice' spiel.

"Saying this is entrapment means you’re part of the problem," outlined one social media user.

A second questioned: "How are they creating crime? How are you blaming them and not the men? Unbelievable."

"Totally agree! It’s proactive policing!" praised a third, while a fourth chimed in: "So true. The assumption that the women are to blame is classic."

Another congratulated: "This is AMAZING!"

What has Surrey Police said?

Surrey Police told Tyla in a statement: "As a Force, our priority is not only to tackle and solve crime but also to prevent it from happening in the first place.

"The Jog On initiative is a preventative measure to tackle harassment and violence against women and girls and ensure that they not only are safe but that they also feel safe.

"The initiative was launched to enable women and girls to feel safe in public spaces and go out running without fear of being harassed or catcalled."

If you’ve experienced sexual or street harassment, you’re not alone — and support is available. You can call Victim Support for free, 24/7 on 08 08 16 89 111, or use their Live Chat service at www.victimsupport.org.uk.