New Order To Help Protect Victims of Stalking

Posted on March 19, 2019 by alexgloster in Community Safety, crime, Domestic Abuse, domestic violence, helpline, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Police, relationships, revenge porn, Rugby, sexual abuse, sexual violence, Stratford District, support, support services, violence against women and girls, Warwick District, warwickshire // 0 Comments

A new civil order that will help protect victims of stalking has received Royal Assent, and is included as part of the government’s wider commitments to tackle violence against women and girls.

The Stalking Protection Bill will see the introduction of new Stalking Protection Orders – a civil order that police can apply for that will enable them to tackle so called ‘stranger stalking’ sooner and more effectively.

The orders will have the flexibility to impose both restrictions and requirements on perpetrators and will carry a criminal penalty for those that breach them. The police will apply for the order, so the burden of going through the process does not lie with a vulnerable victim.

How Prevalent Is Stalking?

The Crime Survey for England and Wales reports that:

More than 1 in 5 women and nearly 1 in 10 men aged 16 to 59 have been victims of stalking since the age of 16.

In 2017 to 2018 there were 1,616 prosecutions commenced under stalking offences, with 73% related to domestic abuse.

While victims who are suffering from stalking in the context of domestic abuse will benefit from Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and Notices that form part of the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, the Stalking Protection Orders will be particularly valuable for those being harassed by perpetrators not previously known to them.

The Stalking Protection Order can apply to any case of stalking, but is designed specifically for occasions where stalking occurs outside of a domestic abuse context and will allow courts to not only ban perpetrators from going to certain locations or contacting victims, but also force them to seek help, such as attending a mental health assessment.

Support for the introduction of Stalking Protection Orders is one of the many positive measures that the Home Office has committed to as part of its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. In addition to this, the Home Office has also:

provided £4.1 million to fund the Multi-Agency Stalking Interventions Programme, which aims to improve responses to stalking across the criminal justice system, through robust management of offenders in a multi-agency setting, including police, probation, health, the Criminal Prosecution Service, and victim advocacy services
provided £50,000 a year for the National Stalking Helpline, which has helped over 30,000 people
introduced the draft Domestic Abuse Bill which will introduce new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, to protect victims and survivors from perpetrators of abuse

Support For Those Affected By Stalking

If you are affected by stalking, you can receive help and support from the following organisations:

If you are over 18, and would like support please call 0800 408 1552 or visit the Refuge Warwickshire website.
Victim Support Warwickshire – call your local victim care team in Warwickshire on 01926 682 693. Lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
The National Stalking Helpline is run by The Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Call their helpline on 0808 802 0300
Further advice on how to protect yourself from ‘Cyber Stalking’ can be found on our Cyber Safe Warwickshire advice page.
In an emergency, always call 999.