Case Studies

Stalking protection order

by Mark Rowe

A consultation on new measures for victims of stalking – ‘stranger stalking’ in particular has been launched by the Government.

The Home Office points to recent figures on the prevalence of stalking that an estimated one in five women and one in ten men are victims of stalking during their lifetimes, and the Government says that a new stalking protection order would mean victims are kept safe while police gather vital evidence ahead of a potential prosecution being brought. One aim would be to deter perpetrators before their fixation with their victim becomes entrenched, or to prevent them from moving on to further victims.

The 16-page consultation document points out that in around half of cases, it seems stalking is taking place where only a very casual acquaintanceship exists between the perpetrator and their victim; maybe because of social networking.

Under the current stalking legislation introduced in 2012, over 1100 prosecutions were commenced in 2014/15, a rise of nearly 50pc since last year. The Home Office says that a new order would address stalking earlier and mean victims are protected ahead of cases reaching the courts.

Minister for Preventing Abuse and Exploitation Karen Bradley said: “No one should ever suffer in silence or live in fear of stalking, violence or abuse. Being stalked by a stranger can have terrifying consequences and we want to make sure victims have protection in place early to give the police time to gather evidence in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We are encouraged that more and more victims are coming forward to report domestic abuse and violence to the police, and prosecutions are now at their highest ever levels. We have made enormous progress since 2010, but there is always more to do to stop violence and abuse before it happens. Our new domestic abuse offence will protect victims of coercive or controlling behaviour who would otherwise be subjected to sustained patterns of abuse that can lead to total control of their lives by the perpetrator. We are sending a clear message that it is wrong to violate the trust of those closest to you and that emotional and controlling abuse will not be tolerated.”

The consultation runs to January 30.

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