Shropshire police pledge to tackle public sex
Police in Shropshire insist that they will always investigate reports of people having sex in public places.
West Mercia Police though stressed that such incidents were rare.
Chief Inspector Sarah Chaloner, of West Mercia Police, made the comments recently.
She said: Police have insisted they will always investigate reports of people having sex in public places, although they stress that incidents are rare.
Chief Inspector Sarah Chaloner made the comments after it was revealed that West Mercia Police has received 30 reports of couples having sex in public between January 2011 and November 2016.
She said: "Since January 2011 West Mercia Police has received only 30 reports of people engaged in sexual acts in public places.
"This is a low figure which shows how rare this is.
"The act itself is not an offence, but possible linked offences include: outraging public decency contrary to common law; behaviour that is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress contrary to the Public Order Act 1986; exposure offences, if a person engaged in the act exposes themselves to someone intending to cause alarm or distress; and engaging in sex in a public toilet (section 71 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003).
"We will always investigate any report of behaviour which is illegal or offensive and deal with those responsible appropriately."
