A police chief has advised women who are wolf-whistled or cat-called in the street to call 999.

Alison Hernandez, police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, worries that incidents are going unreported, leaving the authorities "a bit clueless about the level of the problem".

In a BBC interview on Thursday, the Conservative politician urged women to make emergency calls if "you've ever felt unsafe or felt threatened on the street".

She spoke out after she was asked if anything is being done to tackle cat-calling.

Police leaders are divided on the issue, with some arguing that hate crime policies make officers waste time investigating wolf-whistles and impolite comments rather than "genuine crimes" such as burglary and violence.

Freelance writer Rebecca Broad, 24, said she was "surprised" when Ms Hernandez suggested she should call 999 over verbal abuse in the street during a Twitter exchange in August.