Police urge victims to report stalking

POLICE chiefs are urging people to come forward and report stalking or harassment as National Stalking Awareness Week draws to a close.

Pete Horner, who is South Yorkshire Police’s lead for stalking and harassment and manager of the force’s Public Protection Unit, said it was vital awareness of the crime is raised so more people can be protected.

One in six women, and one in 12 men will be stalked at some point in their lives.

Stalking is repeated, unwanted contract from one person to another, which demonstrates either a fixation or obsession and causes the victim to feel alarm, distress or fear of violence.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said in the last 12 months there had been 20 reports of stalking recorded across South Yorkshire.

He said this low figure suggested an under-reporting and he urged people to take action.

Pete added: “Perhaps this (low figure) is because victims are afraid of their stalker, or because they aren’t really sure if what is happening to them could be classed as stalking, but I hope that this week has helped demonstrate nationally that victims can come forward and their reports will be taken seriously and investigated.”

Signs that you may be being stalked are: receiving unwanted gifts; finding someone is everywhere that you are; constant emails, telephone calls and text messaging along with declarations of love which then lead to threats of violence.

Dr Billings added: “Anyone who suspects they are being stalked should be extremely careful what they put on social media accounts as stalkers may use this information to find out about their interests, family, school or place of work.”

Pete continued: “There are many myths surrounding stalking, including that it only happens to celebrities or high-profile people, or that stalking in itself is not really that dangerous.

“This is not true – stalking can happen to anyone and can, in some circumstances, lead to very serious and nasty crimes indeed, which is why we need to know about it at the earliest opportunity.”

Throughout this week, the force has been raising awareness of the crime on social media, sharing general information about stalking and harassment, as well as directing the public to useful support agencies and the legal guidelines around these crimes.

A video has been made available by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to educate viewers on what constitutes stalking and can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/prud7cs.

Call 101 to report stalking or harassment, or if a life is at risk call 999.

More information on stalking and harassment can be found at http://tinyurl.com/l4eaox5.

Advice and support is also available from the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 032 0300 or by email on [email protected].