A BUILDING firm was quizzed by police after a woman reported being wolf-whistled in Worcester city centre.

Poppy Smart said she went to the police because she feels sexual harassment from lecherous men has made walking through the city centre an “awful experience”.

The 23-year-old complained that she had been subjected to wolf-whistles and disrespectful comments every morning when she walked to work past a building site.

Police decided to investigate on the basis that there may have been an offence of harassment, or public disorder.

They rang the company involved but did not pursue it after the firm said they would investigate and deal with it internally.

The firm, who are not being named, later said that CCTV footage showed it was not one of their workers and there were tradesmen from several contractors on the site.

But Poppy, a marketing co-ordinator, has come forward because she says this one incident is just the tip of an iceberg and there is a widescale problem.

“I’ve noticed this behaviour more and more around the city”, she said.

“Men will lean out of their cars or vans and shout comments about my appearance or whistle and I know and have seen this happen to others as well.

“I think more women should speak out about this behaviour – maybe it will make people think twice.

“Imagine hearing someone speaking that way to your sister, mother, wife or daughter.”

During the recent incidents, she claims that builders wolf-whistled at her daily while one of the worst perpetrators stepped out in front of her, said ‘morning love’ and then laughed.

She says two teenagers even commented loudly and inappropriately on her appearance when she was at the police station reporting the matter.

Such behaviour left her feeling “very uncomfortable” and angry that someone had intruded her personal space, despite her efforts to ignore them.

“Personally I don’t think that such comments, even if they are considered complimentary by the perpetrators, are appropriate”.

“It is very disrespectful and is comparable to calling out at someone of a different race or religion.”

She added that people had suggested a variety of ways for tackling the issue, such as taking photos of the offenders and naming and shaming them online, or retaliating to the abuse.

But she decided to pursue the matter through official channels and hopes that her story will prompt others to speak out.

“I’ve experienced this kind of sexual harassment around Worcester a lot recently and it just makes walking through town an awful experience sometimes”, she said.

“I definitely think it’s still a big issue and that a lot of women don’t bother to speak out about it because it’s such a common occurrence - we’ve almost learned to live with it.”

Police said Poppy had been happy that they dealt with her complaint by a telephone approach to the company involved.

Whether it was a criminal matter that amounted to harassment or disorder depended on the specific incident.

They said their response is often victim-led, so they decide whether to pursue the matter more formally based on the victim’s stance.

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