Stalking victims all reported facing harassment online
ALL STALKING victims who reported their experience to a national hotline had been harassed online, police said, as cases of the crime have increased five-fold.
The Met said there was “a stark rise” in stalking cases last year, with the number averaging 1,001 a month – 12,015 across the year – compared with 200 a month before April 2020.
The increase has likely been caused by the growing number of people experiencing cyberstalkers – individuals who use technology and social media platforms to send unsolicited messages and track victims’ movements online.
In 2020-21, 100 per cent of the 22,676 victims who contacted the National Stalking Helpline noted a cyber element by stalkers. The Met said the figure proves cyberstalking “is no longer a niche crime or an emerging threat – it is what stalking is today”.
The figures were released ahead of National Stalking Awareness Week, when police across London will be hunting stalking offenders.
Officers will also identify perpetrators who may be suitable to undertake a behaviour change programme after success with one man who was convicted of stalking a victim and causing serious harm and distress.
The man, who the force has kept anonymous, was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was issued with a restraining order after being convicted for stalking a victim, predominantly online. He was released last year, and is now supported under multi-agency public protection arrangements.
He said: “I know it sounds bizarre and going to prison was horrendous, but it afforded me the opportunity to start fresh and fix a lot of problems in my life.
“I was on a destructive spiral mentally and my new life is so much better as a result of your intervention ... I now have a greater understanding and awareness of the way I was behaving and I’m glad I was educated at an early age to put me on the right path.”
Commander Kevin Southworth, the Met’s newly appointed head of public protection, said: “We are continuing to listen to what women and girls are telling us about their experiences and feelings about safety in London, and we are working hard to ensure they can go about their lives feeling safe.
“We fully understand how stalking heightens concerns about violence against women and girls.
“We are particularly aware 80 per cent of stalking victims have been female, however we will continue to do everything we can to support all victims of stalking.
“We want to help victims of stalking to report their perpetrator, we want them to feel safe and relaxed again without having their lives manipulated by one person.”