According to a senior police official, many people are unaware that upskirting is illegal and do not take the offense seriously.According to City of London Police Detective Superintendent Kate MacLeod, upskirting is abuse that can develop into "far worse" behavior. In August, while on a day excursion to the British Museum with her kids and not on duty, she caught a man filming up a woman's skirt. She saw that the man was acting strangely as the three of them were gathered around the Rosetta Stone.

"I could see his hand, he was holding a phone, was firmly pushed into the underskirt of the lady standing in front of him," she said to the PA news agency. "He was craning his head round to look at the stone and his body looked as if it was in the right place." Claiming to be a police officer, she put the man in restraint and brought him to security personnel, who verified that he had pictures of the woman on his phone. Large gatherings of people at tourist destinations are obviously going to draw in those looking to commit upskirting offenses. Without the protection he received from other people, there is no way he could have accomplished it.

“Upskirting is still a relatively new offence, and a lot of people won’t be aware it exists,” she said.

“Generationally, people won’t be aware that mobile phones are being used in that way.

This is still abuse, albeit seemingly low level, and those behaviours can escalate into something far, far worse

Detective Superintendent Kate MacLeod

“This guy we know now had been taking a lot of images, not just that day but historically as well.

“People must have seen him doing this or had a suspicion and maybe didn’t do anything, or maybe they didn’t realise it was an offence.

“People don’t realise the severity of the crime.

“We talk about violence against women and girls, and I think a lot of people think that has to be physical violence.

“But actually this is still abuse, albeit seemingly low level, and those behaviours can escalate into something far, far worse.”

Jake Verano Gomez, 33, was jailed for four months at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on August 21 after admitting recording an image under clothing to observe another without consent.

He was also put on the sex offenders register for seven years.