Police criticised for telling women to ‘run in pairs’ after jogger raped in German park

Leipzig police suggest female runners 'make sure there is always someone else around'

A jogger was sexually assaulted in Leipzig's Rosental Park (Wiki Commons)

A German police force has come under fire for suggesting women avoid jogging solo, after a runner was sexually assaulted in a park.

Advice from the force in the eastern city of Leipzig said women should run in pairs to avoid being attacked, or “make sure there is always someone else around”.

“When they run past someone, joggers should always look back to make sure they are not about to be attacked,” a spokesperson advised, The Local reported.

It followed the rape of a woman in her 50s who was left extensive injuries that required emergency surgery earlier this month, in the city's Rosental park.

Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung condemned the force for failing to reassure women that they will be better protected - and instead suggesting they restrict their freedoms.

“The state's response to this inconceivable act and previous attacks must be: more policemen on the streets and in the parks, as I have been asking for years,” Mr Jung told German tabloid, Bild.

“We all want to live in a city where women can jog alone in a park, where everyone can move safely. And for that we need more visible police.”

Investigators are still on the hunt for the rapist, who they described as being aged 25 to 35, with dark hair and a short beard.

He was wearing grey, knee-length shorts and a blue/green checked shirt at the time of the attack.