Police promises to act against 'creepy' and 'misogynistic' viral videos of women during nights out

Arrests will be made "where necessary" after viral social media videos of non-consenting women on nights out were taken across the city, a police force has promised.

The pledge comes after footage of women, taken on Manchester's Deansgate and Peter Street without their consent, was widely shared on social media attracting millions of views across platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook.

But, despite it not being illegal to film people in public, Greater Manchester Police chiefs stressed they will act against "misogynistic" and "predatory" behaviour.

The force says officers are "taking the issue seriously" and encourage any women who feel harassed or vulnerable while on a night out to report it to the police.

The women in the viral videos are generally unaware they are being filmed and usually appear intoxicated.

Commentators have labelled the videos "creepy" and "misogynistic", with many women saying they do not feel safe on a night out in Manchester.

Chief Inspector Stephen Wiggins, talking about patrols as part of Operation Custodian, says although it is not a crime to film the public, officers are taking it "really seriously".

He said: "However, and I say that with a strong however, if somebody is persistently filming a person in the city centre - let's say a young girl or female - and it's against their will, it's causing harassment, alarm and distress, we will take action at all times."If you're trying to enjoy a night out with your friends and family and you come across this misogynistic, predatory behaviour, we will fly there straight away and we'll make arrests where necessary."

With reports of GMP officers investigating suspicious behaviour, Mr Wiggins said: "From a senior leadership point of view that reassures us that cops are taking it seriously.

"It's about building that in, within the culture of the organisation, to make sure that when the cops leave this building tonight, they know what the priorities are.

"This behaviour can be deemed to be misogynistic, and sets out to objectify and sexualise female. It gives concerns for the safety of females under the night time economy.

"Please ensure this behaviour is challenged if seen or reported, positive action is taken, and victims are safeguarded."

Officers are informed about the videos and recommended to consider using legislation under the Harassment Act and Public Order Act to make arrests should a suspect be identified.

Manchester City Council says it is concerned about the wider impact of the videos.

Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Labour deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: "The council takes the safety of women and girls incredibly seriously and we are aware of the concerns raised regarding the filming of women in the city centre and how it is being distributed on social media."We are naturally concerned about the wider impact this may have. The council's Antisocial Behaviour Action Team are committed to tackling ASB and supporting its victims.

"I'd stress that anyone who has been affected by this can come to us, confidentially, and report anything they have experienced.

"Working with our partners in GMP we are focused on ensuring the entire city is safe for everyone."Candida Turner, the council's policy lead for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), says she is keen to spread awareness about the improvements of safety that are being made in the city.

Ms Turner said: "The key messages are around reporting any inappropriate behaviour.

"We're working with all kinds of colleagues at Greater Manchester Police to increase the numbers of reports, because we know we don't get the full reports.

"We're really keen to understand what the picture is out there and what is happening. people don't want to report it directly to the police."If women don't want to report an issue directly to the police, they can speak to staff at any one of the 350 venues signed up to the Women's Safety Charter, who can make sure any problems are referred onto relevant agencies.Ms Turner added: "It is really important to report it, make sure that people are telling us what's happening out there, to really stamp it out and have that zero tolerance approach to it."A TikTok spokesperson has previously said that misogyny is prohibited on the platform and content found to violate its community guidelines will be removed.

They added that content of this kind 'appears on social media across the board and isn't exclusive to TikTok'.

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