STALKING – Help and advice
Stalking can cause immense mental anguish and suffering to the victim and their family and help should be sought as soon as possible. If you think your maybe a victim of stalking, we have provided some basic information to act as a guide.
By definition
Stalking is defined as a constellation of behaviours in which an individual inflicts upon another repeated unwanted intrusions and communications (Mullen, 1999).
Intrusions include making approaches, maintaining surveillance and gathering information.
Communication can be by telephone, letters, cards, faxes, internet, graffiti, gifts, or ordering goods and services on the victim’s behalf.
What to do
1. Take action
Whilst all agencies agree that victims should never react to or communicate with the stalker, ignoring the harassment will not necessarily cause the stalker to stop.
The sooner action is taken, be it police caution or warning, solicitors letter or arrest, the more chance it has of stopping. Research has shown that those stalkers who are allowed to carry on are less likely to stop easily.
2. Contact the police
Contact the local police as soon as possible. Obtain names and numbers of anyone you speak to and a log number or crime reference. Once a log number exists you can refer to it in any future conversations which will show this is an ongoing incident. Do not under emphasise how concerned you are. If you feel an officer should come and speak to you simply express your anxiety and ask for an officer to attend.
3. Do not respond
On no account agree to meet the stalker or communicate with them in any way. It might put you in harms way and may weaken any future prosecution case simply because you have cooperated with them
4. Inform
Make people in your life aware of what is happening, friends, neighbours, colleagues etc. They can also keep a record of sighting and incidents for you as well as offering some protection and supporting you
5. Improve Personal Safety
Always have your mobile phone with you. Consider using our tracking option for your mobile, to enable you to be monitored and send an alert should you feel threatened. (See our section on Lone Worker technical solutions www.standsolutions.co.uk/lone-worker.html )
Trust your instincts, they are seldom wrong. If you feel in imminent danger dial 999 and don’t forget to keep the log number handy if you have one to quote to the police.
Check and if necessary improve the security of your home. Do not give anyone the opportunity to get closer to you by failing to take basic security precautions.
If the victim is a woman living alone, get a male friend to record a voice message on the answer machine to give the impression that you cohabit. Have colleagues answer your telephone at work. Vary your route to and from work. Be wary of giving any details to people on the internet or over the telephone without being sure who they are.
6. Record
Keep a detailed record of anything you feel is suspicious, including telephone calls. Record the date, time and details of any calls, what was said, or silent call. Retrieve the callers number using 1471 if possible. Write down or save any text messages sent to you.
Any sightings should be recorded with date, time, place, description of clothing, demeanour, anything they are carrying, vehicles used.
Obtain details of any witnesses to any aspect of the harassment.
7. Mail
Preserve any suspicious mail, keep it secure and if possible try to use gloves when handling it in order to preserve fingerprints. If in any doubt about its contents Do Not Open it. Inform us or call the police
8. Camera
Keep a camera handy at all times. If possible video incidents and record the details of the video in your log.
9. Diary
Keep a diary of what is happening and include how it is affecting you mentally. Remember the more evidence you collate at the time the better the chances of a successful prosecution or injunction.
The Home Office feel the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 is proving effective. In the first full year of the act almost 3,000 people were prosecuted in England and Wales and more than 200 were jailed. The act also carries an additional power of a lifelong restraining order.
The spirit of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 is to deal with unsocial conduct occurring on at least two occasions in which a person is subjected to persistent and often obsessive behaviour causing harassment, alarm or distress outside existing civil and criminal law. The two occasions do not need to be the same incident, for example one can be a phone call, the other being followed. However they do need to be reasonable close together in time.
A police warning might be enough to stop it, but the power is there for the police to arrest if necessary. The power of the act reaches into civil law as well as the criminal law. If you don’t want to take action through the police, you can go to a solicitor and obtain an injunction through the civil courts, although there will be a cost. A breach of restraining order or injunction is an arrestable offence and is liable for up to five years imprisonment.
Statistics issued by Women’s Aid Federation indicate that most stalkers are ex partners or friends of their victims. The British Crime Survey 2005/2006 showed that 9% of women and 7% of men reported being stalked in the last year. For more information on how Women’s Aid can help victims of domestic violence including stalking visit www.womensaid.org.uk/ or call 08457 023 048
