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1567777

registered interest
date	17/01/2023
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many people charged with stalking offences had been previously convicted of such offences in each of the last 30 years for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	125375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2023 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 created the offence of harassment and latterly, as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, stalking. The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into effect on 25 November 2012 and introduced two new offences of stalking, by way of Section 2A and Section 4A, into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants charged with and prosecuted for offences of stalking or the number of these who were previously convicted of similar offences. However, management information is held showing the number of offences of stalking in which a prosecution commenced from each year from 2013/14. The table below shows the number of these offences to the latest available year, 2021/22. <table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>2013-2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014-2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015-2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016-2017</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017-2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018-2019</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019-2020</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020-2021</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021-2022</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 2A(1) and (4) }</p></td><td><p>529</p></td><td><p>676</p></td><td><p>643</p></td><td><p>510</p></td><td><p>921</p></td><td><p>1,246</p></td><td><p>1,257</p></td><td><p>1,326</p></td><td><p>1,741</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(i) and (5) }</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p>133</p></td><td><p>128</p></td><td><p>83</p></td><td><p>172</p></td><td><p>313</p></td><td><p>331</p></td><td><p>424</p></td><td><p>563</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(ii) and (5) }</p></td><td><p>149</p></td><td><p>294</p></td><td><p>331</p></td><td><p>366</p></td><td><p>523</p></td><td><p>649</p></td><td><p>700</p></td><td><p>762</p></td><td><p>1,046</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="10"><p>Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System</p></td></tr></tbody></table>The figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It is often the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data are held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation. The official statistics relating to crime and policing are maintained by the Home Office and the official statistics relating to sentencing, criminal court proceedings, offenders brought to justice, the courts and the judiciary are maintained by the Ministry of Justice.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson question first answered 25/01/2023 17:50:48 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1422032

registered interest
date	10/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that all police forces in England are adequately able to (a) identify the need for and (b) appropriately implement stalking protection orders.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	122857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>Stalking is a terrible crime that can have a devastating impact on victims’ lives. This Government is committed to protecting and supporting victims and is determined to do everything we can to stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity.</p><p>Each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales has at least one named single point of contact for stalking and harassment, who can advise officers on stalking cases. The role includes acting as the force link to specialist support services dealing with victims of stalking and offering support to ensure an investigation is being carried out appropriately.</p><p>Stalking Protection Orders were introduced in January 2020 to provide enable intervention to address stalking behaviours before they become deep-rooted or escalate. Upon their introduction the Government published statutory guidance for the police, developed in consultation with the police and others, about the orders, which includes material on identifying the need for and appropriately implementing them.</p><p>The Home Office-led a multi-agency project for the implementation of SPOs before their introduction – this included the development of operational guidance materials and standard forms and documents for the police, as developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing.</p><p>My officials have since been continuing to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s stalking lead to ensure that these orders are being used appropriately. This has included establishing actions in response to points raised by the police and others, such as the establishment of a process for the sharing of best practice between forces. In October 2021 I also wrote to all Chief Constables whose forces applied for fewer SPOs than might have been expected, to encourage them to always consider applying for a Stalking Protection Order in stalking cases.</p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean grouped question UIN 122858 question first answered 25/02/2022 14:14:08 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1422034

registered interest
date	10/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a single point of contact within local police forces for victims of stalking.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	122858
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2022 answer text <p>Stalking is a terrible crime that can have a devastating impact on victims’ lives. This Government is committed to protecting and supporting victims and is determined to do everything we can to stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity.</p><p>Each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales has at least one named single point of contact for stalking and harassment, who can advise officers on stalking cases. The role includes acting as the force link to specialist support services dealing with victims of stalking and offering support to ensure an investigation is being carried out appropriately.</p><p>Stalking Protection Orders were introduced in January 2020 to provide enable intervention to address stalking behaviours before they become deep-rooted or escalate. Upon their introduction the Government published statutory guidance for the police, developed in consultation with the police and others, about the orders, which includes material on identifying the need for and appropriately implementing them.</p><p>The Home Office-led a multi-agency project for the implementation of SPOs before their introduction – this included the development of operational guidance materials and standard forms and documents for the police, as developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing.</p><p>My officials have since been continuing to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s stalking lead to ensure that these orders are being used appropriately. This has included establishing actions in response to points raised by the police and others, such as the establishment of a process for the sharing of best practice between forces. In October 2021 I also wrote to all Chief Constables whose forces applied for fewer SPOs than might have been expected, to encourage them to always consider applying for a Stalking Protection Order in stalking cases.</p> answering member constituency Redditch answering member printed Rachel Maclean grouped question UIN 122857 question first answered 25/02/2022 14:14:08 answering member 4668 label Biography information for Rachel Maclean
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1289064

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen legislation to improve protections for victims of stalking and their families.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	157244
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>Stalking is a terrible, insidious crime that can have a devastating impact on victims’ wellbeing. This Government is committed to protecting and supporting victims and is determined to do everything we can to stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity.</p><p>The Government has significantly strengthened the law to improve protection for victims of stalking. In 2012 we created two stalking offences to highlight stalking as a specific behaviour and through the Policing and Crime Act 2017 the maximum sentence for the offence of stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress was raised from five to ten years’ imprisonment.</p><p>In January 2020 we introduced new civil Stalking Protection Orders. These enable early police intervention, pre-conviction, to address stalking behaviours before they become deep-rooted or escalate. Stalking Protection Orders can be used in relation to any type of stalking and have the flexibility to impose both restrictions and positive requirements on the perpetrator. A breach of this order has a criminal penalty, carrying a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 03/03/2021 13:38:32 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1050460

registered interest
date	29/01/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been made to the Police in England and Wales in relation to section 4A on stalking of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; how many complaints have resulted in charges being made; how many charges have resulted in convictions; and how many convictions have resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 2013.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	214069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stalking offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales and how many of these have resulted in a charge/summons. These statistics are victim-based and data, for each year since 2013, can be found in police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables</a></p><p>Figures for prosecutions, convictions and custodial sentences for the offences of stalking involving fear of violence and stalking involving serious alarm/distress are available by selecting the offences in the ‘detailed offence’ field from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published experimental data here:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/738814/HO-Code-Tool-2017.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/738814/HO-Code-Tool-2017.xlsx</a></p><p>The MoJ statistics are based on defendants prosecuted in each time period and may relate to crimes recorded by the police in a previous reporting period due to the time-lag between cases being initially recorded by the police and then brought before the courts.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 06/02/2019 17:42:50 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

780558

registered interest
date	30/10/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the introduction of stalking protection orders in 2018 on the number of police investigations of alleged cases of stalking.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	110307
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2017 answer text <p>Stalking is a serious crime and this Government is committed to supporting victims and tackling and stopping perpetrators at the earliest opportunity. We are also committed to ensuring the police have the tools they need, which is why we consulted on the introduction of a new civil stalking protection order. Primary legislation is required to introduce the order and will be taken forward as soon as Parliamentary time allows.</p><p>While it is for the police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to arrest, investigate, charge or prosecute in a particular case, we are very clear that the new order will not be an alternative to bringing forward robust and rigorous investigations and prosecutions where appropriate. The new order would however allow the police and the courts to intervene early, before cases escalate, thereby reducing the harm to victims. The Home Office carried out a full impact assessment on the new stalking protection order which is available at GOV.uk.</p><p>Once introduced, the effectiveness of the new orders will be kept under review.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 07/11/2017 15:20:27 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

767659

registered interest
date	09/10/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to introduce a stalking protection order.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	106630
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2017 answer text <p>Stalking and harassment are devastating crimes which cause great distress to victims. That is why we strengthened the law by creating specific stalking offences in 2012 and raising the maximum sentence for stalking and harassment to 10 years through the Policing and Crime Act 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Support for victims requires more than prosecution after the fact. That is why, we are introducing a new Stalking Protection Order to support victims of stalking at an earlier stage and address the perpetrator’s behaviours before they become entrenched. The new stalking protection order will support existing tools to ensure there are robust protections available to victims of ‘stranger stalking’.</p><p> </p><p>Primary legislation is required to introduce the order and will be taken forward as soon as Parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 17/10/2017 16:41:00 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

733050

registered interest
date	27/06/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of women being stalked have been reported to the police in each of the last five years; and how many people have been convicted of stalking in that same period.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	1521
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2017 answer text <p>The Home Office does not hold the requested information centrally.</p><p>The Home Office collects data on the number of stalking offences recorded by the police forces in England and Wales, although these data cannot be broken down by gender of victim. Data on stalking offences have been published since 2014/15. Prior to this date, there were included in the harassment offence classification. These are published by the Office for National Statistics and can be found in Table A4 of the latest Crime in England and Wales publication:</p><p><a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesbulletintables" target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesbulletintables</a></p><p>The Home Office does not hold information on the number of offences that led to conviction. Data on convictions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. They have supplied information on the number of convictions for stalking and this is given in the table.</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 05/07/2017 11:48:23 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

600725

registered interest
date	12/10/2016
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) charged, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted of stalking under Section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and what the average sentence was for such offences in each such year.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	48460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2016 answer text <p>Stalking can have terrifying consequences, and the Government is determined to do everything it can to protect victims and stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity.</p><p>Figures on the number of charges are not collated centrally. Figures on the number of prosecutions, convictions and sentence lengths are published by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Ministry of Justice. The CPS Violence Against Women and Girls report published on 6 September 2016 shows that in 2012-13 there were 91 prosecutions following the introduction of the offence in November 2012, in 2013-14 1,489 prosecutions and in 2014-15 1,103.</p><p>Figures on average sentence length are available in the Ministry of Justice publication “Criminal Justice system statistics quarterly: December 2015.” This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015</p> answering member constituency Truro and Falmouth answering member printed Sarah Newton question first answered 19/10/2016 15:20:05 answering member 4071 label Biography information for Sarah Newton
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

516339

registered interest
date	27/04/2016
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Stalking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that people imprisoned for stalking offences receive psychiatric or psychological support to break the cycle of offending.
tabling member constituency	Cheltenham
tabling member printed	Alex Chalk
uin	35888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2016 answer text <p>Stalking is a form of abuse which can escalate to other very serious forms of offending. It is important that we treat stalking with the seriousness that it deserves.</p><p>NOMS have staff trained to assess the risks presented by this group of offenders, and to identify the best options for intervention and support. Those imprisoned specifically for stalking offences can have a range of different intervention or treatment needs, which can often be addressed by existing offending behaviour interventions. Staff managing the shorter sentenced harassment cases can also access community based support and intervention. Prison Service professionals can provide advice on risk management to offender managers and Multi Agency Public Protection panels on request.</p><p>Health services are available to prisoners with clinical needs from primary care services, secondary mental health in-reach services or through transfer to psychiatric hospitals under the Mental Health legislation.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 09/05/2016 16:10:13 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk