Stalking is a repeated pattern of behaviour that causes a person to feel frightened, nervous or in danger. The behaviour can include unwanted contact by phone, social media or email, or unwanted visits to your workplace or home address or other places you regularly frequent. Stalking behaviour can sometimes start from contact with a random stranger, from someone you know or from a previous partner.
Stalking Behaviours:
Stalking behaviour is not defined in the law, but examples include:
- Following, surveillance, spying.
- Standing, loitering around victim's home, school, place of work etc.
- Verbal abuse or public humiliation.
- Unsolicited mail, postcards, photographs, gifts (from the endearing to the bizarre).
- Repeatedly texting / emailing / leaving voicemails.
- Planting spyware, viruses into victim's computer.
- Hacking into victim's computer, email, social media accounts.
- Spreading rumours, discrediting.
- Threats / violence against the victim, their family, friends or pets.
- Damage to property, stealing belongings.
- Physical violence, sexual assault, rape, murder.
- Attempting to take the children away, limit access by making false allegations or engaging in parental alienation.
- "Befriending" victim's friends or family to get closer to them.
- Stealing and disturbing post / mail.
- Going through rubbish bins; leaving offensive material in the garden.
- Breaking into victim's car, home or office.
- Interfering and/or damaging personal belongings.
- Threatening freedom by making false allegations to the police.
- Blackmail - threatening to divulge information that would be harmful.
- Invading personal space by standing too close or brushing against victim.
- Seeking physical proximity by applying for jobs where victim work; joining same gym / church / professional / social / sports groups or clubs; moving into neighbourhood or building etc.
- Leaving or sending threatening objects.
- Ordering goods in victim's name and address.
- Identity theft - pretending to be victim.
- Running up debt in victim's name.
- Cyber stalking and bullying - social networks, websites, online forums, online chat rooms, instant messaging.
Stalking is against the law and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. It also enables the courts to impose a Restraining Order to protect victims.
Safety Advice - Stalking
If you or someone you know is a victim of stalking, it can be a very frightening time. We would urge you to seek advice and support, and to report the incidents to the Police.
Specific information about making a safety plan and advice for victims of Domestic Abuse can be found here.
Remember that responsibility for the abusive behaviour always sits with the abuser - it is not the fault of the victim. The most important thing is to keep yourself safe and the advice below is designed to help with this.
Safety advice:
Take stalking seriously. We know that sometimes - particularly when the behaviour first starts - it can be hard to recognise the risk it might pose, but it is important to not dismiss your concerns.
Report stalking to the Police. Call 999 in an emergency or use 101 in a non-emergency situation.
Be aware of how to make a silent solution phone call (see information below).
If possible, have a phone nearby at all times, preferably one that the stalker has no knowledge of and has never accessed. It can be useful to have specialist numbers and support services pre-programmed.
Maintain a log / diary of all behaviours and contacts from the perpetrator, even if it seems to be 'innocuous'.
Keep a record of all Police incident numbers, crime references and the names of any Police Officers you speak with.
Consider purchasing home security cameras, motion sensor lights, DASH-CAMS and Ring Doorbells.
Keep all physical evidence you can and screenshot any messages that come in.
Report ALL further contact to police - even 1 single text!
Let your employer and trusted family/friends know so that they can offer you support.
Try to vary routines: such as your route to work or shops.
Stop all contact and communication with the person stalking you.
IT safety:
It is worth spending time reviewing your IT security and safety:
Consider all devices - phones, laptops, gaming systems and tablets - and those of your children.
Change all your passwords.
Turn off location settings on mobiles and social media.
Restrict access to your social media accounts.
Block phone numbers.
Review all apps on your devices and those of your children.
Making a 'silent solution' phone call:
Sometimes you can be in danger, but unable to speak out loud. In these situations, you can make a 'silent solution' phone call:
- Dial 999.
- Listen to the questions from the 999 operator
- Respond by coughing or tapping the handset if you can
- If prompted, press 55.
This will let the operator know it is a genuine emergency (not a prank call) and send assistance.
Please note: it is not recommended to do this unless it is absolutely necessary - as it can be difficult and slower for emergency staff to locate you. Even speaking a few brief words, such as your location, whilst pressing 55, can help Police get to you more quickly.