Cheshire Police determined to do more to tackle stalking
It's after police forces were given actions after getting super-complaints
Last updated 22nd Nov 2024
Cheshire Police says it's dedicated to improving its response to stalking as the force publishes how it will make changes - off the back of a stalking super-complaint.
All 43 police forces across England and Wales have been asked to make changes, including updates to police training around stalking.
In the last three months, Cheshire's harm reduction unit investigation team has a 70% stalking charge rate - but says there's more they can still do.
"We recognise that some of the processes in place can be improved. We think it's really important in this particular area." said DCI Danni Knox.
"We've got a harm reduction unit investigations team.
"We have a team of dedicated officers who deal with the most serious stalking we have. This provides some fantastic results regarding the charges we are able to achieve. We have a close link with the CPS and we work really really hard to ensure we progress those cases as soon as possible.
"We had 3 last week, where we put individuals before the courts. We take this as zero-tolerance.
"We are making training mandatory for all our staff. They will all undergo that training to make sure they're fully cited on all the concerns around stalking, how to investigate it and the signs and indictors they need to be looking out for.
"We will listen to you. Please contact us."
What are super-complaints?
The police super-complaints system allows designated organisations to raise issues on behalf of the public about harmful patterns or trends in policing. Some of these are assessed by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and senior representatives from the IOPC and the College of Policing as being eligible for investigation.
What's the super-complaint about stalking?
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium, raised serious concerns about the police response to stalking in its super-complaint.
The police watchdog says in too many cases the police response was not good enough and victims were being let down.
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