The Met is supporting National Stalking Awareness Week

Each month in London 1,000 people reach out to the Metropolitan Police Service seeking help in a desperate situation. Each month 1,000 victim-survivors suffer the impact caused by offenders who seek to be part of their life without consent.??

We know the impact of stalking for victim-survivors is staggering – symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, agoraphobia, lost confidence navigating the physical and digital environments. It can mean changes to daily routine, going to the core of a victim-survivor’s feelings of safety. We also know that, in acute cases, stalking has and will escalate to serious violence and homicide. The Met is committed to bringing stalkers to justice and supporting victim-survivors through the criminal justice system.???

Every year professionals in this space mark National Stalking Awareness Week. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of stalking amongst the public and practitioners; a chance for all to reflect on the impact stalking has on our society. Last year we considered the vital role of victim advocates. This year we turn our focus to how stalking manifests amongst London’s youth. This matters. What occurs amongst young people today will shape the stalking landscape of the future. Many crime prevention strategies focus on educating young Londoners on crime and safety – stalking should be no different.??

As the Met’s lead for stalking and harassment I work with a network of 36 Detective Inspectors, Detective Sergeants and Stalking Protection Order co-ordinators. Together this group of dedicated professionals oversee the stalking response of our 12 Basic Command Units. They are supported in doing so by a ground breaking multi-agency unit, the Stalking Threat Assessment Centre (S-TAC). By bringing together the expertise of the police, clinical psychologists, probation officers, victim advocates and working with the Crown Prosecution Service the S-TAC work daily to ensure stalking cases get the right response.??

DI Martin Murphy, police lead for S-TAC said:??

“In accordance with this year’s theme of stalking amongst young people, STAC Officers are rolling out training to the hundreds of Schools Officers, Youth Engagement Officers, and Cadet Leaders across London – groups of police officers that routinely work closely with children. The training will help these officers to identify stalking behaviours in the children they work with. They in turn will ensure school children across London are supported to understand what behaviours amongst their peer group amount to stalking, and give them confidence to report to police when these crimes occur.??

This training will help give children in London a clear line of sight on the divide between acceptable online conduct and that which might be deemed unacceptable, abusive, and in some instances, criminal.”?

Across the Met our Basic Command Units work round the year to support victim-survivors, investigate stalking cases and provide the best possible outcomes. In the run up to National Stalking Awareness Week our 12 Predatory Offender Units – small, specialist teams of officers focused on managing offenders who predate on women – worked tirelessly to target 240 suspects of stalking and those wanted for breaching the terms of their Restraining Orders and Stalking Protection Orders.??

Amongst many things taking place during NSAW, I wanted to highlight the work of officers from South West Basic Command Unit, led by Stalking Lead DI Sian Hutchings, where they have been reaching out to universities in their area to deliver inputs on stalking:??

NSAW also provides a useful moment to reflect on progress made in delivering digital capabilities to our frontline officers. Over the last six months the Met’s East Area Basic Command Unit has been trialling Operation Atlas, a focused approach to frontloading digital travel and communications data at the outset of an investigation, using innovative software to quickly make sense of, and present, that data. Met detectives are required to handle huge amounts of data in investigations and this work is crucial in supporting them to do so. Initial findings from the trial are positive. We have seen 83% of stalking offenders dealt with in police detention and 80% of cases in Operation Atlas led to a successful outcome (suspect charged or cautioned). Work will continue to build up the scale of Atlas and deliver these benefits across London.??

I also want to mention developments in Stalking Protection Orders – a lifeline for victim-survivors of stalking. Stalking Protection Orders prohibit certain behaviours by offenders with risk of prosecution if the order is breached. Across the Met, our Stalking Protection Order Co-ordinators work tirelessly to prepare court papers and request these orders at court. They have a fantastic success rate and across London there are 258 orders in action right now. Over the last 6 months, PC Alfie West, who works in one of the Met’s Predatory Offender Units, has been trialling the ‘Stalking Offender Protocol’. This process ensures that not only are orders secured, but a police officer is dedicated to monitoring the order throughout its lifetime, supporting the victim-survivor and ensuring offenders adhere to the terms of their order.??

Police Constable Alfie West, from East Area’s Predatory Offender Unit said:??

“Working closely on Stalking Protection Orders, and the victim-survivors they protect, has given me a real appreciation of the complexity of these situations and the risk posed to victim-survivors. Building rapport with survivors in such a difficult situation has, I hoped, given them confidence in the Met and provided them a straightforward way of flagging up concerns before matters escalate. Each situation is unique, and a tailored approach to safeguarding makes all the difference.??

Since trialling the Stalking Offender Protocol we have identified 7 breaches by offenders, allowing us to proceed quickly to arrest, charging suspects and already a conviction at court.”?

We know stalking will continue to be one of the foremost priorities for policing into the future. It is an offence driven by a compulsion to pursue a victim-survivor – police and our partners are committed to de-escalating risk and delivering justice. This year’s focus on stalking amongst young people reminds myself and colleagues across the Met that how we shape our response to stalking today can and will protect future generations of Londoners.??

If you or anyone you know thinks they may be experiencing stalking they can call 999 in an emergency, report online at www.met.police.uk or at a police station. Advice and support can also be found at www.suzylamplugh.org or by calling 0808 802 0300.??

Remember if you can spot FOUR behaviours it may be stalking – Fixated, Obsessive, Unwanted, Repeated.??