Flashing and the police response.

[FloralBunting]

There have been some really nasty incidents over the past few weeks where sex offenders have been shown to start out as flashers, and where men have exposed their genitalia and the response from people has included embarrassed inaction, and outright support of the behaviour.

Yesterday, my teenage daughter was flashed. She was extremely distressed, having experienced it before when she was 12. The police were contacted and we were told they would come and take a statement.

They never showed up.

There's a man on our estate exposing his genitals, which is acknowledged as a gateway behaviour to other sexual offending, and the police just didn't turn up. A woman was attacked and raped by local shopping centre here a few months ago.

Men sexually menace with impunity in our society, apparently. I shall have to get some suffragette stickers and see if I can get a better response time.

.......and we pay our taxes for these services. I wouldn't mind if there hadn't been a load of MSM and SM reactions out there to VAWG. I wonder if the Police are past caring about us and anything that is a danger to us?

I'm sorry that your DD was subject to that attack, especially as it has happened before. I cannot comprehend the idea that this is a low priority incident and doesn't warrant any investigation. The lack of response from the police then puts the onus on you as the victims to have to chase and/or make official complaints which is completely wrong.

Is there still an institutional attitude that men exposing themselves like this is somehow trivial or even funny? It should be made clear that it is an aggressive act that is often distressing, and the victims are often younger women and girls, or other vulnerable women. It should be clear that it is correlated to later more serious offending, and quicker action should be taken against those who perpetrate it.

Awful. Will you keep on at the police until they do shoe up, and maybe make a complaint?

There's a relevant thread, with a link to a Sunday Times article. Police are supposed to be taking these offences seriously now.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/feminism/4293691-police-must-take-flashing-more-seriously

Here's the times link if people don't want to go to the other board

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/after-sarah-everards-murder-police-must-take-flashing-more-seriously-hth2cwc8k?shareToken=d4a247c8467083d53f8d673ada5db029

Exactly. I'm now having to decide whether there is any point chasing the police over this. I think I might even have preferred it if they'd said over the phone "Sorry, we're not going to come out for that." It's almost the pretense that there is some sort of authority out there that is making me angrier.

It's incredible that people would think exposing yourself is a normal act, but then, the police response only reinforces that.

I am so sorry that happened. Again. To your dd

Appalling the police don't seem to care

Keep going. Register a complaint if they don't turn up again. Hope your daughter is ok.

I would complain to the police, and also see if I could get a local paper interested. Contact MP also. You shouldn't have to, but he's going to keep doing it - or worse - until he's stopped

I’m so sorry that your daughter has had to deal with that, floral.

The sad truth seems to be that taking sex crime seriously probably would overwhelm the police. Women will continue to be let down, then blamed.

Complain again. Go to your MP if you get no response. Keep dates and copies of everything you send or note the date of any phone calls.
Your DD deserves better.

It is recent policing to ignore this type of crime.

When I was a child in the late 70's and we hung about a field with our mates (rural location). A man turned up and flashed a couple of the girls, who shouted and we all scattered and ran home.

We told our parents who rang the police who came out that evening to our homes to take statements and to check the field for the man AND asked for us kids to collect as normal, at a certain time the next day and the police waited to arrest the man, who stupidly turned up a second night in a row at the same place!

That is what they should be doing today, not chasing people who sticker places!

My sister was flashed a few years ago. Went to the police station to report it. Officer behind the counter laughed. She had to insist that he write it down.

So sorry this has happened . Just keep going until they can’t ignore you. How can they be sure this is not a future rapist or killer?

Oh I am so sorry that happened to your daughter and hope she's ok.

On a practical note could you call again and ask to be transferred to the children and young people division (not sure what the actual name is but I know our county has one!) I know in our county many of the officers there are ex social services and will treat it with more gravity.

Try your local police and crime commissioner too. Utterly abhorrent.

Sorry this happened to your daughter, Floral. Hope she's okay. The police need to give their head a fucking wobble. All the time in the world to deal with stickers and ribbons

There have been some really nasty incidents over the past few weeks where sex offenders have been shown to start out as flashers, and where men have exposed their genitalia and the response from people has included embarrassed inaction, and outright support of the behaviour

The man who sexually abused me as a child started by exposing his dick to me. One of my earliest memories is walking into my kitchen and he was stood there, trousers on with his dick hanging out of his fly hole. He was testing the waters, seeing what he could get away with or if I'd tell anyone before taking it further.

There comes a time when exposing themselves isn't giving them enough of a thrill anymore, so they escalate.

To see so many people in the last few days defending men flashing, actually coming out and saying we should 'desensitise' kids to seeing dicks, is fucking horrifying. Anyone who thinks like that needs to keep 'children' and 'safeguarding' out of their damn mouths, because they haven't got a clue.

So sorry for your daughter 😞 it’s disappointing to see that the police’s attitude to this hasn’t changed over the years, I was flashed by a man back in the eighties- he was riding a bike when he did it - my parents called the police and their response was well he’s long gone so no point in us coming out! I have a 10tr old girl and it’s worrying to know that she will no doubt experience this in the near future 😡😡

I would definitely make a complaint... after Sarah ever are surely lessons have been learnt!!? They missed up to 3 occasions where he had been reported flashing

We had one here recently in a car... and tried to get the girl into the car.... huge uproar locally and he's now behind bars !

Complain complain complain, keep logging it online too.

Floral so sorry your DD experienced that.

Sorry this happened again

If you get no joy from the police and you feel up to it do think about going to the local paper. They'd be interested in light of the Sarah Everard case and campaigns around vawg.

Do your local force have a twitter account? Ask in front of everyone what they are doing about it since it is a known gateway crime.

Colin Pitchfork started out as a prolific flasher.