Man who catcalled woman in the street is one of the first in UK to get £100 fine for sexual harassment after he was caught in undercover police operation
- A man was fined £100 for catcalling a woman in Ilford Town Centre last Friday
- The fee was handed to the offender using a Public Space Protection Order
- He is one the first in the UK to be fined for sexual harassment under the PSPO
A man who catcalled a woman on a London street has become one of the first in the UK to be slapped with a £100 fine for sexual harassment after he was caught in an undercover police operation.
The offender – who was not publicly named – was issued a fixed penalty notice for harassing a woman in Ilford Town Centre last Friday.
The fee was handed to the offender using the council’s Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which has been brought in to enforce against catcalling and harassment.
The PSPO was created initially to empower Council Enforcement Officers to fine people soliciting sex in the area. However, PSPOs can be used to help tackle a slew of issues to ensure public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour.
A man who catcalled a woman in Ilford Town Centre last Friday has become one of the first in the UK to be slapped with a £100 fine for sexual harassment after he was caught in an undercover police operation
Working with Met Police as part of a special covert operation council, Enforcement Officers witnessed a woman being harassed last week.
Officers then detained the man responsible. He was ordered to pay the £100 fine within 28 days or go to court and face a potential prison sentence.
As part of the operation, police also arrested a male for domestic violence-related assault and possessing a weapon.
Councils have used PSPOs to target a variety of issues including rough sleeping, ordering dogs to be kept on leads and drinking in public spaces.
However, Redbridge is the first local authority to use a PSPO to take action against catcalling and harassment.
Redbridge Council leader Jas Athwal said: ‘We’re supporting covert police operations in the borough to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.’
‘This fine is a strong start and will serve as a statement of intent. We will not tolerate harassment of women and girls and will target those men who do not heed this warning.
‘We’re reclaiming our streets for our local communities and ending the culture of misogyny that starts with harassment and escalates to violence.’
Councillor Khayer Chowdhury added: ‘This is a working partnership between Redbridge Council and the Met Police to tackle the on-street harassment of women and girls – a commitment we made as part of our response to the Redbridge Crime Commission.
‘Women and girls have an absolute right to walk our streets without being catcalled and harassed by men and working with the Police, and we are showing zero tolerance.’
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