FOREST of Dean police have launched a survey for runners, in a bid to gather information for an anti-harassment campaign.

Local police are looking to stamp out street-based harassment against female runners, through a planned ‘Jog On’ campaign.

The move comes following other police services which got involved with Jog On earlier this year, such as Hereford Police in March. However, it is believed the campaign initially began with Surrey Police in July of last year.

A Forest of Dean Police spokesperson said: “Runners, we need your help. The Forest of Dean Neighbourhood Policing team are looking to run a campaign called Jog On, which aims to stamp out street based harassment against female runners.

“To make sure we target the correct areas and to fully understand the problem, we are running a survey to gather information and hear the first hand experiences from runners within our communities.

“Any and all submissions will help us to better target this behaviour and help protect our running communities.”

The news comes as the government continues to focus on its Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWAG) strategy.

The Jog On campaign looks to address harassment female runners often face, such as catcalling, intimidation, and assaults.

One approach which Surrey Police undertook involved volunteer female police officers jogging in key locations in plain clothes. If they were subjected to harassment, support crews were on hand nearby to assist the running police officers and deal with perpetrators. This approach was mirrored by Hereford Police in March.

A Hereford Police spokesperson said: “These are not just unwanted behaviours. They are often crimes and we must not minimise the impact these behaviours and crimes have on women and encourage people to report all incidents to the police.

“We continue to encourage the recognition and reporting of incidents and continue to speak with runners to support them in being active bystanders to these behaviours.”

You can fill out the survey to have your say online.