Work to stop harassment of women runners in Bradford is being praised

TRAINING to give people the confidence to intervene when they witness street harassment has been praised by those taking part.

The Active Bystander training, run by police community support officers, is part of the JogOn campaign, launched in March by Safer Bradford to tackle harassment of women runners in the Bradford borough.

The training was delivered to running club members and aims to help people safely intervene, either at the time of the incident or after the incident, and challenge harmful attitudes, language or behavior that support violence. The training supports the national strategy on violence against women and girls.

People have to go through the different steps needed to get actively involved:

• Observe and be aware of the event

• See the event or behavior as a problem

• Feel responsible and motivated to act

• To have the necessary skills to be able to intervene safely and effectively.

Feedback from those who attended a session last week included:

• “Very good session. Interactive and makes you more confident in reacting to situations. They would encourage others to participate, especially if it’s something they wouldn’t normally feel comfortable doing.”

• “Learning about the JogOn initiative, especially how to report incidents, was very helpful. I will pass the club leaders on and encourage people to participate.”

• “An extremely open and informative session. It made me think a lot about things I’ve experienced in the past and my actions in the past. Also, how would I react in future situations. Please do this more often in other locations as well. I hope many people will be able to take part in this training.”

The next active watcher training session is planned for 17th July from 6pm to 8pm at Javelin House Police Station, Eccleshill.

Seats can be reserved here

Michael Churley, Community Safety Co-ordinator at Bradford Council, said: “JogOn is spreading the word that any form of harassment of runners and joggers will not be tolerated. This training aims to empower people to intervene if they witness this type of behaviour. We want everyone to feel safe when they’re out and about.”

Superintendent Beth Pagnillo from Bradford District Police added: “We are really pleased that our latest active bystander training has received such positive feedback and is supporting those with the skills to intervene safely.

“We hope that others who are interested are encouraged to attend the next session, to learn more about JogOn, but also about the wider aim of improving the safety of women and girls in Bradford.”