In the know

Surrey Police launch Jog On campaign

Surrey Police has launched a force wide campaign to stamp out street-based harassment against female runners.  

As part of Surrey Police’s ongoing commitment to tackle public space violence against women and girls (VAWG), Jog On has seen new tactics being trialled that are designed to tackle harassment against female runners.  

These tactics have been developed and shaped from our already established work combatting VAWG within the night-time economy. This sees plain clothed female officers working alongside uniformed colleagues to identify predatory behaviour in bars, clubs and town centres, and intervene early.  

Jog On uses the same approach and involves female police officers going out jogging in key locations. These officers have volunteered to take part, and are not running in their uniforms, so they are not readily identifiable as police officers. If they are subject to harassment such as catcalling and sexually suggestive comments, there are support crews on hand nearby to assist the running police officers and deal with perpetrators.  

These operations can take place at any time of day and are designed to be varied and unpredictable. The tactics were first used in Reigate and Banstead and are now being rolled out in different places throughout the county.  

Reigate and Banstead Commander, Inspector Jon Vale said: “We know that this kind of harassment is significantly under reported thanks to a study carried out by Surrey County Council this year, which revealed that of 450 female residents surveyed, 49% never reported.  

“To date, we have made a number of interventions following reports of harassment of our plain clothes runners. In these cases, it was deemed appropriate to provide education around anti-social behaviour.  

“For repeat offenders or where the behaviour is more serious, we will robustly pursue all criminal justice outcomes. We recognise this is a significant worry for women and girls, and we’ll continue to patrol running routes throughout Redhill.” 

Whilst this operation takes place with plain clothed officers, uniformed officers have also been out engaging with local communities on the issue. Our team have spoken with running clubs and women’s walking groups such as Wherever, Whenever Walks, to hear about their experiences of street-based harassment and to share what work we’re doing to prevent violence against women and girls. 

The head of Wherever, Whenever Walks, Olivia Derrick, said: “When I moved to Redhill and set up the group I didn’t think much about it, until the Borough Commander, Jon Vale reached out.  

“Several officers have attended the walks and have given us insight into what measures Surrey Police is taking to enable women and girls to feel safer in public places. I was assaulted at a young age, so women’s safety is something that I’m very passionate about and it’s great to see that Surrey Police are taking it so seriously.”  

Jog On has now also been launched in North Surrey, with the first day of action taking place in Egham.  

Reigate and Banstead Borough Commander, Inspector Jon Vale, said: “This type of harassment isn’t just being experienced by communities in Reigate and Banstead, but communities across the whole of Surrey, and it’s unacceptable.  

“We have female officers and staff members who have been the subject to such behaviour when off duty. The message I would like to impart to perpetrators is this; your actions will not be tolerated. Please reflect and ask yourself ‘is this how you would treat or want your partner, mother, sister to be treated’?  

“The next time you see a female jogger, just think, they could be a police officer with colleagues nearby ready to stop you. Your behaviour is not welcome in Surrey.”  

If you experience any form of harassment, please contact us via: 

If you do not wish to speak to police, you can also call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

Jog On is an initiative that forms part of a force-wide priority to tackling violence against women and girls in Surrey. A focus on this crime type is embedded as part of Our Plan and neighbourhood teams build this into their local policing approach, through enforcement and engagement activity. With every crime report we receive, we’re committed to delivering a victim-centred approach and engage with local partners to ensure accessible specialist support for those affected. Proactively identifying and targeting perpetrators is key, whether through standalone operations or managing high-harm perpetrators alongside other agencies. 

Better understanding the experiences of women and girls in Surrey is also crucial and we encourage our communities to use the Street Safe reporting tool to log any public spaces where they don’t feel safe. This enables us to develop an enhanced intelligence picture and deploy more effectively.