Police are going undercover to nab catcallers who harass female runners in a county outside of London.

Female officers dressed in plain clothes and running gear are being sent out in places of concern around Surrey to confront catcalling or sexually suggestive comments.

There are support crews nearby ready to help deal with potential perpetrators.

Police will pursue legal action for any repeat offenders or offenders with more serious behaviour.

Surrey Police north division officer Abi Hayward said being catcalled while trying to get her cardio in is an all too familiar experience for her.

“I feel diminished, I just feel uncomfortable,” she said.

“It makes me feel uneasy, and then instantly, it’s just ruined my run. I just don’t want to.”

Hayward has volunteered for the program to help stamp out harassment within the community, after a local council survey found almost half of the respondents had been catcalled but never reported the incident.

“The change I’d like to see is for people to recognise that it’s not right,” she said.

“It’s not just a small act. It’s a thing that can make someone feel really quite uncomfortable.” 

The program was launched in Reigate and Banstead in mid-July, using the same tactics as an initiative that sees undercover female officers identify and intervene in predatory behaviour in bars, clubs and town centres.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Commander Inspector Jon Vale said the program has already recorded a number of incidents of harassment.

“In these cases, it was deemed appropriate to provide education around anti-social behaviour,” he said.

Vale said he wanted the public to know about their undercover tactics to make perpetrators think twice about their behaviour.

The program has now been rolled out across wider Surrey. 

“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,” Vale said.