Stalking victims left at ‘serious risk’ by police failures, report finds

Systemic failures in the way police deal with stalkers are leaving victims at “serious risk” with some given wrong and “potentially dangerous” advice, a damning report by police chiefs in England and Wales has found.

Ten months after a coroner warned that stalking victims were facing a “postcode lottery” of support following the death of Gracie Spinks at the hands of her stalker, an internal examination has found evidence of the risks of stalking being downplayed, officers failing to join the dots between stalking incidents and a lack of training and confusion over what constitutes stalking.

The findings come as ONS figures reveal that one in seven people aged 16 and over in England and Wales have been a victim of stalking at least once, with women and younger people the most targeted, according to data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). An estimated 1.5 million people aged six years and over experienced stalking in the year ending March 2024.

Among women, 20.2% have experienced stalking since the age of 16, as have 8.7% of men. An ONS report on the figures highlighted the psychological trauma of stalking, with one victim saying: “I have lost my life, my livelihood, friends, and family. I have lost all trust in everyone and view everyone with suspicion … I cannot sleep as the nightmares follow.”

Police chiefs have been forced to confront failings around stalking in forces following a super-complaint brought two years ago by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium. The report found “clear evidence” to support the concerns raised by the super complaint, which was made by the consortium after frustration that years of raising concerns had not been acted upon.

The report came as “no surprise”, said Emma Langley-Clark, the interim cheif executive of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which was set up in 1986 after the disappearance of a 25-year-old estate agent whose body has never been found.

“Victims of stalking are being failed by the agencies that are there to provide them with the support at the time that they need it,” she said. “We work closely with the police to try and improve that response, but it took [the super complaint] to actually get this highlighted.”

In 2017, the “Living in fear” report by police and CPS inspectors revealed that the full extent of stalking and harassment in England and Wales was unknown because police and prosecutors often did not recognise the crimes, or recorded them incorrectly.

“That’s the biggest issue for us,” said Langley-Clark. “We need to see a real commitment to preventing the numerous failures encountered by stalking victims.”

The report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and the College of Policing (CoP) called for “significant” changes to be made.

It uncovered:

• A lack of assessments may be leaving some victims at serious risk.

• Laws and guidance for police are “confusing and inconsistent”.

• There is a lack of understanding by police of the scale and types of stalking in their area.

• Problems with the quality and resourcing of some investigations.

• “Worryingly low” use of stalking prevention orders (STOs).

The report found particular issues around the policing of online stalking, with some victims reporting “online stalking behaviours which were not recognised by the police as stalking”.

It also uncovered “evidence of cases where the police gave victims unhelpful and potentially dangerous online safeguarding advice” and examples of forces lacking “the necessary hardware and software to protect victims online”. According to CSEW figures in the year ending March 2024, about 635,000 victims reported online stalking, 42% of the total.

One victim in the police report said officers were dismissive when their stalker had made a death threat on Facebook. “One officer said to me it doesn’t count,” said the victim. “I said he’s made this death threat and he goes, yeah, but he hasn’t got any followers.”

The report did find that police understanding of stalking was improving and some forces were taking innovative steps. West Midlands police had a device to sweep houses for listening devices and signposted victims of online crime to the charity the Cyber Helpline for support; Lancashire have a Digital Media Investigation Unit (DMIU), which trained other officers.

“Change is happening – and today’s report highlights some excellent work we want to see become standard right across England and Wales,” said the IOPC director general, Rachel Watson. “Sadly, we also saw too many cases where police failed to recognise stalking or take the necessary steps to protect victims – and policing must act now to improve this.”

The report makes 29 recommendations, including making stalking protection orders simpler and easier for the police to use and a change to the law, which the report states “is unclear and difficult to apply”, with multiple offences and overlap between stalking and harassment.

“I strongly believe that the government should legislate to introduce a single standalone stalking offence, which recognises the severity and impact of this crime and protects more victims,” said London’s victims commissioner, Claire Waxman.

Police forces have been given a deadline of 22 November to publish action plans on stalking, with a further deadline of next March to show progress. “We cannot have a continuing situation where lots of issues are raised, but nothing actually happens,” said Langley-Clark.