A woman is walking in the park. She is looking over her shoulder and has a scared expression because a man is following her closely.
Legal, criminological and forensic

BPS issues response to new protections for people who’ve been stalked

The government has announced new proposals which aim to give stalking victims new protections.

05 December 2024

By BPS Communications

The government has announced new proposals which aim to give stalking victims new protections, including measures that will allow them to discover the identity of the person perpetrating digitally enabled stalking against them.  

Other changes that will come into force are publishing new data on stalking offences by the Home Office, strengthening protection orders so those that stalk cannot contact their victims from prison, and introducing standards on stalking perpetrator programmes to make them consistent across the country.  

Dr Rachael Wheatley, a forensic psychologist and lead author of 'Working with individuals who have engaged in stalking: A resource for psychologists', said: 

"Many people who are stalked do not know the identity of the person stalking them, which often adds to the distress and fear experienced. These experiences coupled with an ever-growing sense of powerlessness with stalking episodes take their toll on daily functioning, such as on work performance, social and familial relationships, and the impact of such is both wide-ranging and isolating.  

"'Right to know' options alongside appropriate risk management and victim safety planning are welcomed. There are already great examples of victim support and advocacy work happening across the country, but the provision needs to be consistent across all regions and properly resourced. This announcement brings renewed energy for utilising stalking protection orders at the earliest opportunity and better crime recording of stalking.  

"While better protections for victims are desperately needed, it's also key that we address the perpetrators' behaviour and work with them to try and stop them in their offending, but also from reoffending in the future. Many cases of stalking won't just stop once it has become established as a pattern without intervention work, so we're pleased to see that a standardised approach to perpetrator programmes has been included in the measures.  

"We'll await to see the rollout of these measures, continue to advocate for progress in tackling stalking, and continue to review the impact they have on tackling rates of stalking." 

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