Government ministers have indicated today (July 21) that the acts of wolf whistling and cat calling could soon be made illegal in England and Wales.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government would be “taking action” on a range of safety concerns, with new proposals unveiled as part of the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
“We will continue to look at gaps in existing law and how an offence for sexual harassment could address those,” Ms Patel told The Times.
The new strategy is said to have been published against a recent backdrop of dismal conviction rates for rape offences. According to the i, less than 2% of cases lead to a conviction last year even though the number of reported incidents are on the rise.
It has been revealed that last year, just 1,439 suspects were convicted of rape and other sexual offences.
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This is despite an estimated 128,000 people coming forward with reports.
Writing in the Times, amid reported plans to tackle wolf whistling and cat calling, the Home Secretary added: “We are taking action on street harassment [and] I am committed to ensuring not only that the laws are there, but that they work in practice and women and girls are confident their concerns will be taken seriously.
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“It is important that the police enforce the law and give women the confidence that if they report an incident, it will be dealt with.”
Although the Home Secretary has indicated that the government will move to crack down on public sexual harassment, immediate new legislation is not expected to be introduced.
Rose Caldwell – Chief Executive of Plan International UK – said she was “very disappointed” that the strategy does not include the quick implementation of legislation on public sexual harassment, adding: “Without a new law, millions of girls will be left unprotected.
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“However, the government has recognised that this is an urgent issue that needs more attention [and we urge it] to quickly deliver its promise to review gaps in the legislation – and then it must commit to a new Public Sexual Harassment Law.”
Prominent campaign group Our Streets Now – which is committed to “ending public sexual harassment in the UK by changing culture and creating a criminal offence” – has also released a statement on Twitter in response to the plans.
Our Statement on the Government's Violence against Women and Girls strategy.
This is a big first step in recognising the radical changes needed to address public sexual harassment.
Andrea Simon – Director of End Violence Against Women Coalition – said: “The seriousness and scale of violence against women warrants radical change and a whole systems approach which has prevention at its heart [and] we welcome the recognition of this in the government’s new strategy.”
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She continued: “However, to make this a strategy that delivers change, there must be accountability and the right level of funding that follows all aspects of the work.
“There is a distinct lack of resourcing here that cannot be ignored.”
We welcome the focus on prevention of VAWG in the #VAWGStrategy press notice, but are concerned that the actions fall short on ambition and funding https://t.co/2dHOPgJPVH
Also in response to the new proposals, Shadow Home Office Minister Jess Phillips said: “The services and support required to end violence against women and girls cannot run on warm words alone.
“How are we in a situation where we have better protections for statues than for women?”
“The government should step up to the plate and take action rather than more warm words,” she concluded.
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A number of other measures announced in the strategy this afternoon include increasing support for victims and survivors, reversing declines in conviction rates, and reducing attacks, as well as further pledges for a new 24/7 rape and sexual assault helpline and two new ‘Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions’ who will look at how protection can be offered on public transport.
It has been confirmed that a new ‘StreetSafe’ app will also be launched so women and girls can record areas they feel unsafe.
Featured Image – Pxfuel
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Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport
Emily Sergeant
A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.
Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.
At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.
Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.
He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.
#JAILED | A man who deliberately drove into a police officer in Stockport has been jailed.
Harvey Bell (12/08/2005) has been sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute and was disqualified from driving for two years.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) June 4, 2025
Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.
The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.
“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.
“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”
She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.
“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”
Featured Image – GMP
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IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
The Manc -
21st July 2021 
