UK: Female Cops Jogging Undercover to Nab Catcallers

“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,” Inspector Jon Vale of SPD told the outlet.

One of the officers in the group said the harassment she faced during the trial period reflects her everyday experience in Surrey.

“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 recognized as such,” Officer Abby Hayward told the Telegraph.

“This behavior is either a precursor to something more serious — or it’s ignorance and it’s fixable,” the cop said.

“That’s where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they’re doing isn’t OK.”

Critics of the program include the Free Speech Union, which said the tactic was a “bizarre social-psychology experiment,” and that police should enforce the laws on the books, according to the outlet.