Fifty people arrested last month on suspicion of stalking and harassment offences

Nearly a quarter of all domestic abuse related arrests in Gloucestershire last month were for stalking and harassment.

Stalking is behaviour which is fixated, obsessed, unwanted and repeated. It is a distressing crime which can leave victims feeling fearful and can have a lasting emotional and psychological impact.

A total of 50 people, 45 men and five women, were arrested on suspicion of either stalking or harassment offences last month (March).

In one incident a 32-year-old man is alleged to have repeatedly turned up to his ex-partner's place of work, a 40-year-old man is reported to have sent his ex-partner more than 150 messages after their relationship ended and a 35-year-old man is alleged to have driven past his ex-partner's home on multiple occasions and looked inside.

One man, aged 34, was arrested after an allegation that he had constantly messaged and called his ex-partner since they split up and has threatened to kill her.

A 32-year-old woman was arrested after it was alleged she sent her ex-partner abusive and threatening messages, and tried to get into his home. 

Another woman, aged 50, is reported to have stalked her ex-partner by sending them messages and emails, and is alleged to have turned up at the work place of her ex-partner's new partner.

In March 211 people were arrested by Gloucestershire Police on suspicion of domestic abuse related offences, and 87 per cent of detainees were men (183 men, 28 women). 

Domestic abuse is a key driver of stalking and harassment, and nationally 32.4 per cent of all stalking and harassment offences are domestic abuse related.

Detective Inspector Dave McCoy, the Force Tactical Lead for stalking, said: "Stalking is an invasive and distressing crime for victims as it can leave them feeling unsafe and isolated.

"It can take up to 100 incidents of stalking before someone reports one event to police, therefore raising awareness of the signs to spot so that victims can be safeguarded and get support is extremely important.

"The pattern of fixated, obsessed, unwanted and repeated behaviour can have a lasting emotional and psychological impact on a victim. The crime can also be a pre-cursor to violence or serious harm, and therefore we take reports of it seriously. 

"Training has been provided to our staff around spotting the signs of stalking behaviour, and the work of our multi-agency stalking hub is recognised nationally as good practice. The hub assesses high risk cases to ensure there is a joined up approach to dealing with the offender and safeguarding the victim.

"There are a range of things we can do in order to disrupt the person's behaviour, such as Stalking Protection Orders, which for example can block contact or attempts to make contact, create exclusion zones or order people to not post on social media with reference to a victim. A breach is a criminal offence, and these are tools available to us to manage perpetrators.

"I encourage everyone to be aware of the signs of stalking so that we can help victims get the appropriate support."

Behaviours which are warning signs that someone is stalking you:

• Fixated - being followed on your daily routine, spied on, or being watched by someone loitering around your work or home.
• Obsession - being monitored on or offline, cyberstalking, the ordering and cancelling of items on your behalf.
• Unwanted attention - gifts being sent or left for you; unwanted messages, letters or phone calls. Even damage or graffiti being caused to your property.
• Repeated behaviour - this can be any nuisance or threatening behaviour, being approached, accosted or bullied repeatedly.

Victims are advised to keep a record of events, such as:

• Keep a record of text messages, calls, voicemails or social media contact
• Keep a diary of events - noting down dates, times, locations, and any other details to describe what has happened
• Note details of any witnesses

Every week throughout December last year Gloucestershire Police released details of the domestic abuse related arrests their officers had made across the county in a bid to show the prevalence of the problem.

The Force continues to release data monthly, and so far 653 people have been arrested in connection with domestic abuse related offences in the first quarter of the year.

Domestic abuse describes a range of behaviours including physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour as well as digital, economic, psychological and emotional abuse.

For further advice about spotting the signs of stalking and how to report it and seek support, visit www.talkingstalking.com. In an emergency always call 999.

The Hollie Gazzard Trust is a Gloucestershire based charity which works to save lives by building individual and community resilience to domestic abuse. Visit their website for more information: https://holliegazzard.org/ 

If you are not sure if you are being stalked you can contact the National Stalking Helpline: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/pages/category/national-stalking-helpline or 0808 802 0300.

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme gives any member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them. It is often called 'Clare's Law' after the landmark case that led to it.

This scheme also allows a member of the public to make an enquiry into the partner of a close friend or family member. For more information on this visit: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/alpha2/request-information-under-clares-law/

Professional support is available for anyone who has an abusive partner, former partner or relative – contact Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service on 01452 726 570 or email: [email protected]. More information is available on their website: https://www.gdass.org.uk/