Man fined for catcalling in London first - council

A Redbridge man has become the first to be fined by a London local authority for catcalling (file photo)

A man has become the first to be fined by a local authority in London for 'catcalling' a woman in the street, a council says.

Undercover Redbridge council officers witnessed a man sexually harassing a woman in Ilford on Friday night.

The man was then detained by local police and fined £100.

The council says it is the first London authority to use a public space protection order (PSPO) to enforce against catcalling and harassment.

The man will have 28 days to pay or go to court and face potentially going to prison.

The council said that as part of the operation, a man was arrested for a domestic violence-related assault and possessing a weapon.

Redbridge council leader, councillor Jas Athwal, said: "We are the first council in London using our Public Space Protection Order to enforce against catcalling and harassment.

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"We're supporting covert police operations in the borough to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.

"This fine is a strong start and will serve as a statement of intent. We will not tolerate harassment of women and girls and will target those men who do not heed this warning.

"We're reclaiming our streets for our local communities and ending the culture of misogyny that starts with harassment and escalates to violence."

The PSPO was initially created to enable councils to fine people soliciting sex in Ilford Lane, an area popular for sex workers.

Councils use PSPOs to tackle anti-social behaviour in the community.

Hammersmith and Fulham recently proposed using PSPOs to fine dogwalkers who were unable to produce a dog poo bag on demand £100, in a bid to reduce dog fouling in certain parks.

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