Police will lead a "relentless" pursuit of sexual offenders during Cheltenham Races
Gloucestershire Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre say the increase of "sex tourism" leads to women being "objectified"
Ahead of the Cheltenham Festival (14th March - 17th March), Gloucestershire Constabulary say women's safety is their key priority.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio Gloucestershire, Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Shaun West wants to reassure residents and visitors by introducing "enhanced measures" to improve the safety of women.
DCC Shaun West added, "Let's be clear, there's absolutely no place for women anywhere, and in this case Cheltenham around the Festival, for women to be targeted.
"That is just not an option for individuals.
"We will be relentless in the pursuit of any offender targeting women in Cheltenham or indeed our county."
Gloucestershire Police says they will be working with partners such as the Cheltenham Guardians to keep women safe.
They'll also be more officers deployed into the town, and safe spaces will be dotted around for any women feeling targeted, followed, stalked or simply want help.
Women give themselves a "curfew" during the Festival - GRASAC
In 2021, Cheltenham Borough Council revealed 75% of women don't feel safe during the Cheltenham Festival. Gloucestershire Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre (GRASAC) say sexual entertainment venues leads to women being "targeted" and "objectified".
Magda Gulcz Hayward, Service and Training manager at GRASAC, says it leads to people thinking "that it is okay to grop and grab somebody."
She added, "We do have anecdotal information from women contacting us, where some of them ultimately say that working Cheltenham Races in town, it feels like sexual harassment becomes a occupational hazard, which is not okay.
"We have also had some women tell us that they purposely don't got out, so they are giving themselves curfew."
To make sure that the environment surrounding the Cheltenham Festival improves, GRASAC wants to reemphasise the importance of the Flare App.
It allows women and girls to share their experiences anonymously, providing Gloucestershire Constabulary with a greater understanding of hotspots and the nature of incidents.
GRASAC hopes this will "illuminate" the issue and help organisations target their response in future years.
Cheltenham Borough Council's cabinet member for safety and communities, Cllr Flo Clucas says they "work with partners through the Community Safety Partnership and other networks to ensure that women and girls in Cheltenham are able to get help if they need it.
"As important is making sure that our boys and young men understand what is acceptable behaviour which is why we look to work with our schools and students.”
We have approached The Jockey Club for a comment but they've not replied.