Jog On campaign returns to tackle harassment of female runners

Surrey Police has relaunched its Jog On campaign after recording more than 100 incidents of sex-based harassment since new legislation came into force in April of this year.

Jog On forms part of the Force’s ongoing commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), improving feelings of safety in public spaces and ensuring women can exercise without fear of intimidation or abuse. 

Since 1 April, we have recorded 105 incidents under Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986, which introduced an offence of using threatening behaviour, language or graphics to cause intentional harassment, alarm or distress on account of sex. The reports are helping officers build a picture of offending across the county, identify potential hotspots and inform targeted activity to challenge behaviour and prevent further offending.

The new offence strengthens the law and the powers available to police, now carrying a maximum of two years’ imprisonment on conviction.

We know this behaviour can have a lasting impact, causing women and girls to change their routines or feel uncomfortable using public spaces. 

We are encouraging our communities to use #StreetSafe to anonymously highlight public places where they feel unsafe. The information shared can help us identify potential patterns, inform our response and support wider efforts to prevent further harm. 

If you have experienced or witnessed harassment, please report it online or call 101. If a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger, always call 999. 

For more information on what Jog On entails you can view our launch video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/-Vz3_FZIu0Q?si=QY7hm80JrF3za0CB

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