Help tackle public transport sex pests

Officers from British Transport Police (BTP) are encouraging passengers to report any unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport network.

A short film called Report it to stop it, promoted through Video on Demand channels such as All4 (formerly 4OD), Now TV and YouTube, follows a woman’s journey in which she experiences escalating incidents of unwanted sexual behaviour on board a train.

Viewers are encouraged to interact with the film by deciding at which point they would report the incident by texting 61016.

The purpose of the video, which is aimed at women aged between 16 and 35, is to tackle under-reporting by raising awareness that people can, and should, report all behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable and that the police will seek to take action as a result.

All front line staff working for BTP have undertaken additional training to raise awareness of what constitutes unwanted sexual behaviour. In tandemn, we have strengthened investigations of sexual offences and detection rates are on the rise.

Richard Mann, Detective Superintendent of British Transport Police, said: “Everyone has the right to travel on the transport network safely and we will not tolerate any unwanted sexual behaviour.

“We want the travelling public to feel confident that we take every sexual incident seriously, no matter what has happened, and we believe what is reported to us.

“By working with our partners we want people to feel encouraged to report unwanted sexual behaviour, and to know we will do everything we can to find those responsible.”

Unwanted sexual behaviour is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. You can report anything of a sexual nature, including rubbing, groping, masturbation, leering, sexual comments and indecent acts. You don’t have to prove that it was a criminal offence or intentional to report it, the police can investigate that for you.

A Tumblr site has also been created to provide information to help break down the barriers that prevent reporting unwanted sexual behaviour. The site will ensure there is one location for all the information people need and actions they can take to report.

• Link to Tumblr site, ‘Report it to stop it’: http://report-it.tumblr.com