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 female runners in the Bradford District.

The training has been offered to running club members and aims to help people safely intervene, either at the time of the incident or after and to challenge harmful attitudes, language or behaviour that supports violence. The training supports the national violence against women and girls strategy.

It takes people through the different stages needed to get actively involved:

• Notice and be aware of the event

• See the event or behaviour as a problem

• Feel responsible and motivated to act

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

Feedback from those who took part in a session last week included:

• "Really good session. Interactive and makes you more confident in reacting to situations. Would encourage others to attend, especially if it’s something that they wouldn’t normally feel comfortable doing."

• "Learning about JogOn initiative, particularly how to report incidents has been very useful. I will pass onto running club leaders and encourage people to attend."

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

The next Active Bystander Training session is planned for July 17 from 6 to 8pm, at Javelin House Police Station, Eccleshill. 

Places can be booked here

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

Superintendent Beth Pagnillo of Bradford District Police added: “We are really pleased that the most recent active bystander training received such positive feedback and that it is supporting those locally with the skills needed to safely intervene.

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