Call for register to halt stalker menace

New figures showed the majority of stalking reports lead to no action being taken, leading to criticism the crime is not being taken seriously enough.

Over the last six years there have been a total of 1,746 cases logged by West Midlands Police. The number rose from 177 in 2013 to 503 last year.

The vast majority of stalking victims, 1,614, were female and 124 were male. Of the known offenders, 554 were male and 24 were female.

Only 26 per cent of cases (455) were referred to the Criminal Prosecution Service for criminal charges and ultimately leading to court proceedings. Police handed out 65 cautions for stalking over the period, meaning no action was taken in more than 1,000 cases.

Unwanted

Stalking, which became a criminal offence in November 2012, is a pattern of repeated and persistent unwanted behaviour that creates fear and distress such as unwanted gift giving, monitoring or following a person, turning up at their home, place of work or leisure destination.

Wolverhampton Liberal Democrats, which released the information, have called for stalkers' register, similar to the sex offenders' register, to help people avoid falling victim to known stalkers.

Party campaigner Natasha Allmark said: "These figures are bleak and show the uphill struggle people face in getting justice if they are being stalked. Stalking and harrassment are not being investigated by police consistently or effectively, and this has to change.

"Stalking can cause lasting psychological damage to its victims and should be treated as seriously as domestic abuse.

"We are calling for a stalking register to allow to help people avoid falling victim to known stalkers. It is time West Midlands Police took this crime seriously."

West Midlands Police said training around stalking was being reviewed.

The force's lead for stalking, Inspector Jenny Bean, said: "We appreciate the distress unwanted, persistent attention can have on victims and anyone who feels they are being stalked or harassed should contact us so we can take action − and I would encourage them to get in touch at an early stage as we recognise that stalking can escalate to physical assaults.

"We are in the process of reviewing our training for all police officers and staff so that everyone in the force fully understands stalking and recognises the signs so that cases are not missed or wrongly interpreted.

"A new joint working protocol was introduced last year between the police and CPS which will see an emphasis on seeking criminal charges against anyone shown to be displaying stalking behaviour. And West Midlands Police sits on a national working group which brings together police, partners, the Home Office and charities to share learning and improve response to stalking victims."