--- description: Wolf-whistling in some parts of the U.K. could now be a criminal offense after Nottinghamshire police ruled misogyny to be a hate crime. title: A U.K. Police Force Just Made Wolf-Whislting a Hate Crime image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Police Force in Britain Has Just Made Wolf-Whistling a Hate Crime by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 14, 2016 2:53 AM CUT by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 14, 2016 2:53 AM CUT Wolf-whistling in some parts of the U.K. could now be considered [a criminal offense](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/13/nottinghamshire-police-count-wolf-whistling-hate-crime "undefined") after a police force in the English Midlands said it was recognizing misogyny as a hate crime in hope of encouraging more women to report incidents including verbal assaults and the sending of unwanted phone messages. A [Nottinghamshire Police statement](http://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/news/2016-07-13/police-nottinghamshire-recognise-harassment-women-hate-crime "undefined") issued Wednesday says the force will prosecute as hate crimes incidents against women motivated by a man’s attitudes toward women. “Examples of this may include unwanted or uninvited sexual advances; physical or verbal assault; unwanted or uninvited physical or verbal contact or engagement; use of mobile devices to send unwanted or uninvited messages or take photographs without consent or permission,” it says. The _Guardian_ reports that the definition would include [men wolf-whistling at a woman](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/13/nottinghamshire-police-count-wolf-whistling-hate-crime "undefined"). A [complaint](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/32493749/woman-goes-to-police-over-wolf-whistles "undefined") from a woman elsewhere in England last year led to a building firm being investigated for sexual harassment by its workers. Chief Constable Sue Fish encouraged women to report misogynistic acts. “What women face, often on a daily basis, is absolutely unacceptable and can be extremely distressing,” she says in the statement. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4405638/wolf-whistling-hate-crime-britain-misogyny-sexism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4405638/wolf-whistling-hate-crime-britain-misogyny-sexism/"},"headline":"A Police Force in Britain Has Just Made Wolf-Whistling a Hate Crime","datePublished":"2016-07-14T02:53:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:14:34.579Z","description":"“What women face, often on a daily basis, is absolutely unacceptable,\" one senior officer said","url":"https://time.com/4405638/wolf-whistling-hate-crime-britain-misogyny-sexism/","keywords":["U.K.","United Kingdom","hate crimes"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simon Lewis","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/simon-lewis/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4405638/wolf-whistling-hate-crime-britain-misogyny-sexism/","name":"A Police Force in Britain Has Just Made Wolf-Whistling a Hate Crime"}}]}] ```