Suzy Lamplugh Trust response to The London Stalking Review 2024 - MOPAC Research

As we eagerly await the imminent publication of the super-complaint findings, new research from the London Victims’ Commissioner reveals deep flaws in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) response to stalking victims. This report was published just weeks before another damning report into the Met’s slow progress on combatting systemic failures when dealing with victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and tackling institutional misogyny and racism.

Two years ago, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium, submitted a super-complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), College of Policing and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) that found systemic issues with the national police response to stalking. These included a lack of understanding among officers as to what behaviours constitute stalking, treating behaviours as single incidents as opposed to recognising the wider pattern of behaviour, as well as police failing to investigate the crime appropriately or erroneously dropping cases due to a perceived lack of evidence. This new report from the London Victims’ Commissioner corroborates previous reports of criminal justice failures and highlights the urgent need for whole-system reform to transform victims of stalking experiences and combat shockingly low conviction rates.

Consistent with our own data, we see that victims are predominantly female (80%), and perpetrators are mostly male, with a significant number having prior criminal records and mental health issues. Stalking behaviours commonly involved phone calls, texts, and surveillance; which often escalated in severity. These stats place stalking firmly within the continuum of VAWG crimes and point to the need for a more holistic response to perpetrators to reduce reoffending and prevent VAWG from occurring.

We were particularly alarmed by the high rate (45%) of victim withdrawal, with many occurring within the first week. This suggests a lack of confidence in victims to continue with the process. 41% of cases were closed by the police with no further action, often due to lack of evidence. The analysis also found an inconsistent use of risk assessments, limited engagement with specialist officers, and poor recording of victim impacts. Much of the report therefore points to the need for more training and increased expertise within police forces on stalking behaviours, consistent with recommendations made by the National Stalking Consortium within the super-complaint against the police. We echo calls from the London Victims’ Commissioner for more specialist stalking training across agencies that deal with victims of stalking, and for more awareness about the crime itself.

The identification that 3 in 10 stalking perpetrators had previous stalking or harassment allegations made against them is something that clearly suggests the need for better perpetrator management. These findings also warrant further analysis on a national scale of the rate of reoffending for stalking perpetrators, and the need for investment in perpetrator intervention that can evidence reduced reoffending. This research suggests psychological interventions that address underlying stalking causes are critical for preventing reoffending. The successful interventions made by the Stalking Threat Assessment Centre (STAC) in London, referred to in the report, an example of a Multi-Agency Stalking Intervention Programme (MASIP) originally programme managed by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, reinforce these recommendations. It’s vital that MASIPs are given appropriate investment and rolled out nationally to help alleviate the current issues within the criminal justice response that have previously been highlighted. MASIPs aim to reduce the risk to, and impact of stalking, on victims by developing a multi-agency intervention model. This model simultaneously coordinates activity around the victim and perpetrator and incorporate an essential pathway which seeks to address the fixation and obsession in perpetrators that might be contributing to stalking offending.

Looking beyond these recommendations, there is an urgent need for a National Tackling Stalking Plan to be published by the new Government to establish best practice response for agencies working together to support victims and convict perpetrators, which must address chronically low conviction rates and knowledge gaps within the criminal justice system. Such a plan would be a vital tool for agencies and could be used to hold government to account on a national level.

Reports such as this can play an integral role at galvanising much needed reforms in the criminal justice response to stalking victims and sparking government intervention and investment. We hope this research, and the recommendations made within it, will be considered when drafting the government’s Autumn Budget, and when developing policies for halving VAWG, which we know is a government priority. When the super complaint findings are published in September we appeal to all police forces across the nation to scrutinise the recommendations set out in these findings and take decisive action on them. Improving the criminal justice response to stalking is a vital component for reducing the risk and prevalence of abuse, aggression, and violence, which is intrinsic to everything the Trust strives to achieve.