Nottinghamshire Police is the first force in the UK to class harassment of women as a hate crime.
Also known as ‘misogyny,’ incidents that happen because of a man’s attitude towards a woman will be punished more severely.
Examples of this include unwanted sexual advances, physical or verbal assault and taking photographs without permission.
It will hopefully encourage women to report such offences
Nottingham Women’s Centre manager Melanie Jeffs is delighted with Notts Police for being the first to bring this into effect.
She said: “We’re pleased to see they recognise the breadth of violence and intimidation that women experience on a daily basis in our communities.
“Understanding this as a hate crime will help people to see the seriousness of these incidents.
“It will hopefully encourage more women to come forward and report such offences.”
What women face is absolutely unacceptable
Notts Police have spent the past three months training officers and staff in preparation for this.
Chief Constable Sue Fish said: “What women face, often on a daily basis, is absolutely unacceptable and can be extremely distressing.
“I’m delighted that we are leading the way towards tackling misogyny in all its forms to make Nottingham a safer place for all women.
“Nottinghamshire Police is committed to taking misogynistic hate crime seriously and encourages anyone who is affected by it to contact us without hesitation.”
