Police have investigated several reports that Norfolk women have been the victim of so-called upskirting since it was made a crime, new figures show.
Upskirting is a form of voyeurism where someone uses a camera or phone to take photos or videos underneath a person's clothes without their permission.
It was outlawed in England and Wales in 2019.
Figures obtained through a freedom of information request show eight upskirting offences were recorded in the last two years by Norfolk Constabulary. Of them, six were in 2022 and two were in 2021.
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None of the reports had led to the perpetrator behind the upskirting being charged or summoned at the time of the request.
The End Violence Against Women Coalition said a focus on public awareness campaigns and school education on healthy sex and relationships is needed to tackle the crime.
Andrea Simon, coalition director, said: "It is vital we take this behaviour seriously, so those who do it know they will face consequences for it, but also to prevent the potential escalation of sexual offending.”
She said the way the justice system investigates and prosecutes violence against women is “fraught with challenges” and low charging rates.
READ MORE: Better education call amid Norfolk under-age sex offending
Separate Ministry of Justice figures show there have been 356 prosecutions nationally involving upskirting since the law was changed. Of them, 262 had led to a conviction.
A spokesperson for victim support charity SARSAS said upskirting was part of a spectrum of sexual violence which can be “devastating and long-lasting in affecting someone’s mental and emotional health, social life and relationships”.
"Alongside some of the trauma symptoms caused by the act of upskirting itself, many victim-survivors also live with the fear that the images may still be out in the public domain and wonder who has and hasn’t seen them,” they added.
Of the reports in Norfolk, seven of the victims were female but one was male.
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