Stalking offences in Humberside up more than 500% since 2020
Figures show the number of stalking offences between 2015-2020 in the Humberside Police region has risen by more than 500%.
Last updated 16th Jun 2021
The number of cases of stalking across the Humberside Police region have soared by more than 560% during the last five years, rising from 27 in 2015 to more than 1,400 in 2020.
Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) became available to police forces in England and Wales in January 2020.
Jenifer Gilmore, Author and advocate for women in abusive relationships was stalked after coming out of an abusive relationship.
She said:
“I spent a lot of time locked in the house feeling unable to come out even when I did, I would look over my shoulder feeling very anxious and panicky. It’s really not a nice place to be.
“I feel like its not a surprise that these numbers have risen because of the circumstances over the last year but it also means we need to be paying more attention to that form of behaviour.
Data shows the use of SPOs, that have been available to police forces in England and Wales since January 2020, show four failing to apply for a single order in the past fifteen months.
These were Dorset, Humberside, Suffolk and Thames Valley Police.
A Humberside Police spokesperson, said:
“Stalking and Protection orders are used to safeguard victims and are assessed on a case by case basis dependent on the circumstances.
“For police to apply for a SPO, the support of the person protected is required as well as sufficient evidence of stalking and future risk. If the suspect is likely to be prosecuted, an SPO would not be appropriate therefore are only applicable to a very small number of cases.
“To provide the victim with the best outcome, following assessment, where sufficient evidence is presented, alongside the support of the victim criminal proceedings of the accused are progressed.
“We continue to proactively seek the use of stalking protection orders to ensure that we are able to support victims and bring these offenders to justice.
“Our force area has seen an increase, but this is predominantly as a result of changes to our recording process and training provided to officers and staff.
“The change in reporting ensures that any report received by a victim is dealt with appropriately regardless of the offence severity. We have noticed a small rise in offences as a result of the pandemic and lockdown.”