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Report sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour

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Report sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour

Types of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour

Sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour on the street can include: 

  • Sexual assault
  • Inappropriate physical contact
  • Unwelcome touching, hugging, cornering or kissing
  • Sexually suggestive comments or jokes that offend or intimidate
  • Catcalling
  • Wolf-whistling
  • Intrusive staring of a sexual nature
  • Upskirting (taking pictures under someone's clothes)
  • Stalking

The Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023 came into effect at the start of 2024. The Act has increased the maximum penalty for offences from six months to two years imprisonment. It applies to any conduct that is intended to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to another person and does not require the conduct to be sexually motivated or for sexual gratification.

How to report sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour

In an emergency always call 999.

Call 999 for emergency police and ambulance services if:

  • you feel like a situation could get heated or violent
  • someone is in immediate danger
  • you need support right away

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use the Police's textphone service at 18000 or text them on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergency SMS service.

Reporting sexual harassment to the Police

If you’ve witnessed or been the victim of a crime, report it to the police. You can report an incident directly by: 

  • calling 101 if it isn't an emergency,
  • through the Met Police website 
  • by going to the nearest police station to you.

If the incident took place on the train, you can: 

Reporting sexual harassment anonymously

If you would like to report an individual or incident of sexual harassment whilst remaining anonymous, you can report to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or report it online.

Crimestoppers is an independent charity helping communities to ‘Speak up. Stay safe.’ 

Their 0800 555 111 telephone number and website give people the power to speak up and pass on information about crime 100% anonymously. 

More information on sexual harassment and reporting can be found on the  Crimestoppers website. 

Other ways to report 

You can contact organisations such as:

How you can help

If you witness sexual harassment or any type of inappropriate behaviour on the street. We can all take action, no matter how small to help.

  • Tell the perpetrator to stop, or tell them ‘It’s not OK’
  • Distract the person being targeted with a question: ‘Are you OK?’ or ‘What’s the time?’
  • Sometimes it may not be safe to challenge someone’s behaviour. Always put your own safety first. You can walk away and still help by calling the Police or by reporting online. 
  • Spread the word with your friends and family and start a conversation about sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour and encourage others to call it out!