Repeated wolf-whistling and cat-calling will be made a criminal offence, Liz Truss has said as she vows to crack down on misogyny if she becomes prime minister.
The Foreign Secretary has unveiled plans to overhaul the way police deal with abuse in public places by creating a new stand-alone criminal offense for street harassment.
It will cover a range of offenses from lewd and lascivious looks to more serious offenses such as sexual advances and indecent exposure, The Telegraph understands.
Under existing police guidelines, street harassment offenses are covered by a range of different laws, such as the Criminal Justice Act or the Public Order Act 1986, which prohibits intentional harassment, alarm or distress.
But Ms Truss plans to simplify guidance for police officers by creating a new offense which specifically deals with different categories of street harassment.
A campaign source said the new criminal offense would seek to crack down on “serious street harassment offences, including curb crawling and persistent verbal harassment of a sexual nature”.
They added that they would work with charities, the CPS and the police on “exactly where to set the bar”, but said it would be aimed at tackling repeated rather than isolated cases of wolf-whistling.
Mandatory training will be introduced for police officers to ensure they can deal appropriately with victims.
“In these terrible situations where people are victims of crime, the response of police officers is vital,” a spokesman for her campaign said.
“That’s why we will ensure that police officers benefit from mandatory training and the tools they need to respond effectively to vulnerable victims.”
National Registry of Domestic Violence
Ms Truss also promised to tackle domestic abusers like sex offenders by setting up a new national register.
She said she would create a national domestic violence register for anyone convicted of domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behavior and financial abuse.
Those convicted of domestic violence offenses will have to inform the police, who will monitor the register, of new partners and their children, and there will be “severe penalties” for those who fail to do so.
The register will allow police officers to contact people and alert them to their partner’s history. It will also allow people to proactively contact the police and ask if their partner is on the register.
Add Comment