The Suzy Lamplugh Trust welcomes the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) report detailing the progress made by police forces in implementing the stalking super complaint recommendations but remains concerned about the disparity of force implementation. We are also disappointed that not all forces responded to every element of each recommendation and that there is a resulting lack of detail throughout this report. We urge all forces to make their progress reports publicly available for transparency and to demonstrate accountability to victims in their force areas.

We are happy to see that some forces have made concerted efforts to improve their procedures and response to stalking. We are particularly pleased to see that a few Chief Constables have embedded specialist independent stalking training across their forces and proactively consulted with specialist stalking organisations in devising and implementing their super complaint action plans as advised by the investigation committee. We also welcome the recognition from the NPCC that the Multi Agency Stalking Intervention Programme (MASIP©) is the “most robustly evaluated model available,” with force representatives across England and Wales visiting MASIP© sites “to observe best practice and consider how this can be implemented locally.” 

However, we are concerned by the continued failure of some forces to implement the recommendations in full. From crime recording data and training delivery to risk assessments and problem profiles, major inconsistencies across forces will only deepen the existing postcode lottery and patchwork of service provision for stalking victims across England and Wales.  

For example, there are still many forces who fail to adequately recognise stalking perpetrated by non-ex-intimate partners, which impacts both provisions for victims and the scope of training given to officers. This is despite the National Stalking Helpline recording almost half of its callers as being stalked by someone who is not a current or ex-partner. The lack of national data on stalking noted by the NPCC cannot be a justification for an unequal distribution of service provision for stalking victims. It is vital that forces respond robustly to all forms of stalking as without a whole-system approach, victims will continue to fall between the cracks.  

We are also disappointed that many forces do not seem to have used the skills and knowledge of local victim advocates or others from outside policing with relevant expertise to develop and deliver specialist stalking training for their force as recommended. 

The super complaint presents a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships between organisations; therefore, we are disappointed to see that very few forces have efficient multi-agency working arrangements in place. We have reservations about the number of forces who are attempting to emulate a ‘MASIP-like’ model that does not meet the standards of the official and independently evaluated Multi Agency Stalking Intervention Programme (MASIP©). While alternative multi-agency approaches may have been implemented in the interest of cost-effectiveness, these measures may ultimately lack the expertise required and therefore be at the cost of victim safety. Service provision and robust risk management for stalking victims has been sidelined for too long and we welcome the government’s intention to develop national standards for stalking intervention programmes to ensure investment in effective and independently evaluated models.  

As the official super-complaint process draws to a close, we will continue to support forces in their work to address the recommendations and ensure there is an accountability mechanism for ongoing implementation going forwards.  

We extend our gratitude to the National Stalking Consortium for their tireless work in campaigning for change and supporting stalking victims. We also thank the super complaint committee members from the IOPC, College of Policing and HMICFRS for their thorough investigation and their engagement with the specialist stalking sector throughout. Now is the time for a commitment from forces to ongoing action to ensure that two years of investigation were not done in vain. We look forward to reviewing specific police force updates and providing a further in-depth response soon. Victims of stalking cannot afford to wait any longer for change.   

31 July 2025