FOI 310526
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 310526
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 6th February 2024. Please find below the response to your request:
- Please can you provide me with the number of reports received by your force from females regarding sexual harassment at the gym.
Please provide separate figures for 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Reply
- Please can you provide me with the number of reports received by your force from females regarding sexual harassment at the gym. Please provide separate figures for 2021, 2022 and 2023. See below:-
Caveat: The premises type is not a mandatory field and not routinely completed, West Mercia Police have therefore also completed a keyword search within the Full Incident Location. West Mercia Police has used words which should cover all the names of common Gyms Chains within the UK. If there are independent gyms which do not have one of the below words* within their location name then they will not be included in these results. West Mercia Police have discounted from the results any false positives such as Nuffield Health which relates to a medical centre.
There is no specific offence title for “Sexual Harassment”. The Rape Crisis Charity offers a definition of sexual harassment on their website suggesting that the following behaviour could be included: stalking, indecent exposure, ‘upskirting’, any sexual harassment involving physical contact (this amounts to sexual assault in English and Welsh law). West Mercia Police have therefore searched for all sexual offences, all harassment and stalking offences and all obscene publications offences (which would include disclosure of private photographs). There is no sexually motivated marker, and as the exact words (either said or sent via message) might not be included within the incident summary and therefore West Mercia Police have not made any assessment as to if the harassment/stalking offences are sexually motivated.
*Location premises type of Sports Club or Leisure Centre or where the full crime location includes one of the following:
- Gym
- Leisure
- David Lloyd
- Nuffield
- JD Gyms
- Bannatyne
- Virgin
- Fitness