Wolf whistlers incur wrath of Neighbourhood Watch

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH is broadening its focus from tackling burglars to challenging wolf whistlers after a sharp increase in the number of people suffering street harassment.

The community-based organisation, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, was set up to help neighbours keep an eye on one another’s homes and report suspicious activity.

But with the number of burglaries falling dramatically in recent years, Neighbourhood Watch members are now finding the most common crime they experience is harassment, with many complaining of misogynistic comments, wolf-whistling and cat-calling.

Many older members have also reported being subjected to abuse from young people who make fun of them and make them feel uncomfortable whenever they go out in their own communities.

In a recent survey of 16,000 members, a fifth of respondents said they had been a victim of crime in the last 12 months.

But while just nine per cent reported being burgled, 34 per cent said they had suffered some sort of abuse in the street.

Neighbourhood Watch is now offering advice to its members on how best to deal with such incidents.

When it is safe to do so, they are asking people to intervene in order to create a “hostile environment for perpetrators”.

Jayne Pascoe, head of partnerships and projects for Neighbourhood Watch, said that harassment and anti-social behaviour were becoming a major concern for members, especially among the elderly and vulnerable.

“The sort of things we are talking about is street harassment, misogyny, violence against women and girls, hate crime and general anti-social behaviour that is intimidating for people in public places,” explained Ms Pascoe.

“We are looking at how Neighbourhood Watch can empower people to have some options when they see something happening, whether that is through reporting it, supporting the victim or calling it out.

“We want to create a hostile environment for perpetrators [who] do that sort of thing,” she added.