Police urge people to speak out about sexual harassment on public transport in new campaign as reports skyrocket

Police are urging those on public transport to 'do their bit' and speak out if they witness sexual harassment in a national new campaign, as reports continue to skyrocket. British Transport Police (BTP) is now encouraging members of the public to make trains and trams a more hostile environment for potential perpetrators.

The new campaign launched today (July 4) – called ‘Speak Up, Interrupt’ – aims to give bystanders and witnesses of inappropriate sexual behaviour on the network to report incidents or even safely intervene where they can, as the force continues to target hotspot locations and increase patrols.

Reports of sexual harassment and sexual offences to BTP have risen by a staggering 175 per cent since before the pandemic. As a crackdown on the crime continues, police are asking people to alert police or take non-confrontational steps to 'interrupt or diffuse' a situation, if they spot behaviour such as leering, catcalling, upskirting, touching or indecent exposure.

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People have been reminded of various steps they can take, including speaking to police or rail staff, offering a victim a way out of the situation by giving them a seat, standing between the perpetrator and victim or speaking calmly to the person causing the issue, if it is safe to do so.

BTP Sexual Offences Lead, Detective Superintendent Sarah White, said: “We must shift the focus away from just relying on victims to report sexual harassment to us, because everyone has a part to play in driving out this unacceptable behaviour. We’re not asking people to police the railway, that’s our job.

"But small actions such as offering someone your seat if you notice them