Undercover female English police officers have been spotted running in tight-fitted clothing in a new effort to entrap catcallers in certain harassment "hot spots" in the Surrey area.
Surrey Police said the approach was intended to protect women and girls in public spaces. At least 18 arrests have been made during the month-long trial for offences such as harassment, sexual assault, and theft, the Telegraph reported.
While the police agency lauded the approach, the Free Speech Union criticized the operation as a "bizarre social-psychology experiment," adding that Surrey Police should focus its efforts on enforcing existing laws.
A spokesperson for Surrey Police said, "These behaviours may not be criminal offences in themselves, but they need to be addressed."
The operation, as first reported on by LBC News, consisted of undercover female police officers jogging in tight athletic gear in "harassment hot spots." Specialist units were stationed nearby, ready to intervene at the first signs of abuse.
"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," Surrey Police Inspector Jon Vale told LBC, explaining that the issue occurs far too often to ignore.
"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," he continued. "We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early."
Abby Hayward, one of the undercover officers, told the paper that the operation was successful, as it allowed authorities to catch several offenders and educate others about their unwanted behaviour towards women and girls.
"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," said Hayward. "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."
