New scheme to reduce harm caused by stalking launches in Sussex
It'll work with offenders to address their behaviour
A new scheme to reduce the harm caused by stalking is under way in Sussex.
30 stalkers, who have been issued separately with a Stalking Protection Order to safeguard their victims, will now receive specialist intervention to address and stop their fixated behaviours, as part of a ground-breaking pilot scheme.
A partnership project has been set up to identify and target specific stalkers for psychological therapy that will enable them to address and modify their own behaviour. It brings together Sussex Police, rehabilitation and criminal justice service Seetec Justice and local stalking advocacy service Veritas Justice.
Police are receiving an increasing number of stalking reports, with 2661 crimes involving stalking recorded last year across the county.
In each case, whether or not it resulted in prosecution, police were also able to take action to safeguard victims, putting protection plans in place where needed, and ensuring they had access to sources of further expert advice and support.
Previous national research has found that 55% of stalking perpetrators go on to re-offend in some way, with complex psychological issues associated with stalking often failing to be addressed within the current criminal justice system. This shows a need, alongside enforcement, to provide support for perpetrators to address their offending behaviour and reduce the likelihood of harming again.
In November 2020, Sussex's Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne was awarded £98,000 Home Office funding specifically for stalking intervention and evaluation, as part of an overall package of interventions on domestic abuse.
The project will focus on people in Sussex who have been given court-ordered Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) and each person given an SPO will be considered as a potential subject for this intervention.
The programme will use the Seetec Justice Compulsive and Obsessive Behaviour Intervention (COBI) based on tested and proven psychological therapy.
This means that participants will take part in twelve, intensive one-to-one sessions where their case will be forensically dissected and future focus placed on maintaining non-offending behaviour.
The ultimate goal is for the service-user to learn pro-social, interpersonal skills and improve their ability to manage their behaviour during periods of emotional crisis.
The skills they will learn to achieve this are: mindfulness; distress tolerance; emotion regulation; and interpersonal effectiveness.
Carl Hall, the Deputy Director of Community Development at Seetec Justice, said:
“There is no place in our society for stalking – it is a terrifying crime that leaves victims traumatised. Seetec is determined to work with local partners to address how certain behaviours lead to an individual choosing to stalk in the first place.
"The purpose of this scheme is to enhance the effectiveness of the court-ordered Stalking Protection Orders issued to offenders in Sussex. The intervention we are deploying highlights that Sussex is at the forefront of using innovative approaches to tackle some of the most complex issues faced in the criminal justice system.
"Highly skilled staff will tackle the causes of the problem, addressing the perpetrator's obsessive and compulsive behaviours to prevent more people from becoming a victim of this type of crime in the future.”
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, said:
"Not that long ago, stalking was a somewhat misunderstood crime in Sussex and arguably still is in many parts of the country.
“I’m pleased with how far we have come in Sussex in better protecting victims of this crime, working hard to prosecute offenders where possible and now, finding innovative ways to stop their fixated and unwanted behaviours completely.
“I successfully bid for and secured this funding so that we could bring together experts that understood the deep-rooted, psychological obsession stalkers have with their victims and who could analyse this and address the reasons why they do what they do.
“Today, we are finally taking steps to identify and tackle the root causes of stalking behaviours, filling the gaps in our response to these heinous crimes.”
You can report stalking or harassment online or by calling 101 or in person at your local police station.
Always call 999 if you are in danger. Officers and staff will undertake a risk assessment and focus on keeping you safe.
Veritas Justice is a local Sussex organisation which provides advocacy and support for victims of stalking.
Further sources of local information and advice are also available at the specialist advisory site SafeSpaceSussex and on the Sussex Police website.