NPCC response to stalking super-complaint

Today (27 September), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the Independent Office for Police Conduct and College of Policing have published their findings into a super-complaint on stalking. The report makes recommendations for policing and wider criminal justice agencies to improve the response to victims of stalking.

In 2022, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium, submitted a super-complaint that raised concerns around the police response to stalking in England and Wales, including identifying and investigating stalking behaviours and ensuring protections for victims. 

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for stalking, said: 

“We welcome the recommendations made in the super-complaint and remain committed to doing everything possible to improve the policing response for victims of stalking. 

“Stalking and harassment can have a devastating impact on victims. Our criminal justice system must recognise the damage and harm perpetrators cause and protect victims at the earliest opportunity. 

“To effectively do this, policing must respond as part of a wider system approach. As the report highlights, police forces that have integrated multi-agency models to respond to reports of stalking have seen the best success at disrupting perpetrator behaviour and safeguarding victims.  

“We must continue to drive best practice nationally across forces and ensure that police officers and staff have the right skills and resources to identify and investigate reports and provide support for victims through the criminal justice process.  

“We are carefully working through the recommendations made for policing and will work closely with our partners across the criminal justice system and beyond to further improve and standardise the service victims receive.” 

Policing is working hard to improve its response to stalking and harassment, which accounts for 40% of all offences related to violence against women and girls.

• Each force has a dedicated stalking lead, and many have specialist advisors to support victims through the reporting stage and investigative process. 

• Updated training and guidance for officers and staff has been implemented nationally, which focuses on better understanding stalking and harassment behaviours, the impact on victims and maximising existing police powers to effectively pursue offenders and safeguard victims. 

• The introduction of a national stalking screening tool for front line officers - following a period of trial in selected forces - this new tool has been designed to support police responders to better identify whether a stalking crime is being presented, as opposed to a harassment, coercive and controlling behaviour, or malicious communications, to initiate urgent investigative action, implement safeguarding measures and safety planning processes, and to ensure referrals to the most appropriate support services are offered. 

• We have been working with the Home Office to further embed Stalking Protection Orders with updated statutory guidance in relation to the standard of proof thresholds and improve the access to official SPO data on a more regular basis.
• Working with Chief Constables and PCC’s to share the learning from multi-agency perpetrator programmes. 

• Working in partnership with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to improve prosecution rates by refreshing the joint protocol on the appropriate handling of stalking or harassment offences between the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the CPS and supporting the development of the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan principles to improve the response to both domestic and non-domestic stalking. 
• Improving the available data concerning the incidence of stalking, to help target further improvement activity. 

• We are working closely with stalking charities to better understand the experience of victims and drive improvements in the police response.