This year’s has been an exceptionally inspirational stalking awareness week and we are so pleased that there is an increase in attention and knowledge on stranger and cyber stalking.

We have a few favourite articles from across the week that we thought we’d share with you.

Lily Allen’s story of surviving stalking has, quite rightly, dominated the week, raising public awareness of risk, the experience of fear and the importance of joined up police response. This article, on the difference between a fan and a stalker, is really informative and gives an overview of the different typologies of stalkers used within the Stalking Risk Profile, which is the model we use in Hampshire.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s report Out of Sight, Out of Mind outlined the importance of police and crime commissioners’ roles in improving the police response to stalking (and named the Hampshire PCC funding of the stalking clinic as an excellent example of good practice).

Then there was the launch of the campaign from Women’s Equality Party and Paladin to join the dots in stalking cases.

And, of course, my very favourite was this announcement from the Hampshire Stalking Clinic. We will be releasing more information soon, with details of speakers and how to book.

What is Persistent Stalking?

Persistent stalking has a devastating effect on the people who experience it. By no means should we dismiss stalking behaviour as simply persistence. Whilst the risks of violence in stalking cases are well known, and rightly so, the risks of persistent stalking are no less impactful.

Persistent stalking, whether or not there is no fear or threat of violence can lead to victims feeling trapped, isolated and hyper-vigilant. Many of the clients that we work with at Aurora talk about feeling paranoid and as if they are just waiting for the stalker to be seen or act again. When someone is feeling this level of psychological torment and feel sure that it will never end, anything can trigger a fear response. There doesn’t need to be a threat or fear of violence for someone to feel utterly terrified. Furthermore, victims of stalking over long periods of time can report feeling numb or bored of what they’re going through, as if they are a burden on their friends and family, whom they talk to about their experiences, and often choose not to report to the police because they feel that they are wasting police time. The latter seems to happen most in cases where the stalking has previously been no further actioned.

The 4a Stalking Charge

The 4a stalking charge that criminalises a course of conduct which causes ‘serious alarm or distress’ and has ‘a substantial adverse effect on the day to day activities of the victim’ seeks to capture the psychological and emotional harm that victims of stalking experience.

The list includes:

1. the victim changing their routes to work, work patterns, or employment;
2. the victim arranging for friends or family to pick up children from school (to avoid contact with the stalker);
3. the victim putting in place additional security measures in their home;
4. the victim moving home;
5. physical or mental ill-health;
6. the deterioration in the victim’s performance at work due to stress;
7. the victim stopping /or changing the way they socialise.

The long-lasting nature of persistent stalking

This list is by no way exhaustive and, I would argue, does not begin to address the long-lasting nature of the impact of stalking, which can have devastating effects on relationships and trust for years. This impact is frequently not captured by the initial or investigating officer because, so often, stalking appears as a series of bizarre and often unconnected incidents. Encouraging officers to look at the fixation and obsession that drives the varied behaviour is one of our objectives through the Hampshire Stalking Clinic.

We hope you’re finding the blogs throughout National Stalking Awareness Week 2016 useful or interesting. If you have any questions, or would like to contact anyone about stalking please call us on 02392 479 254 (office hours) or 02392 472 165 (out of hours). For national enquiries, call the Paladin helpline on 07769995393 or the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300.

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Our Independent Stalking Advocacy Service was established in 2013 following the change in the law in 2012. This service is part of the Hampshire Stalking Clinic, a multi-agency forum that meets once a month to discuss the four stalking cases in the county that raise the highest level of concern. The clinic is made up of two senior police officers, the three police single points of contact (SPOC) for stalking across Hampshire, two probation officers, a forensic psychiatrist, a forensic psychologist, a CPS lawyer and Aurora’s independent stalking advocate (ISAC). The clinic’s focus is to assess the risk presented by the stalker, offer advice to involved professionals and offer support to those experiencing stalking.

Alongside working with survivors of stalking and supporting the work of the clinic across Hampshire, our advocate advises professionals working on stalking cases on the safety options available. The service offers support and advice to all genders for all dynamics of stalking.

A day in the life of Aurora’s Stalking Advocacy Service

The coffee is on and the phone rings, it’s an IDVA who is supporting someone whose case has been heard at the stalking clinic. The client is being stalking by an ex-partner, there are bail conditions in place and the stalker is skirting around the boundaries of them. The IDVA and the ISAC are in regular contact about this matter and, as a result of the conversation, the ISAC takes an action to speak with the SPOC for the area to alert her to the ongoing behaviour. On speaking with the SPOC, another case is raised as a concern and the ISAC takes the details of the investigating officer to contact and discuss the case. The officer talks through the case and takes the details of the advocacy service to offer support to the survivor on their next contact.

The advocate checks through her emails to prioritise her work for the rest of the day, there are two new referrals and a request for contact from a social worker. The referrals are entered into the secure database and contact is made with the survivors. The first client is with a police officer and writing their victim personal statement for a court case next month, they would like support through court so they arrange to speak tomorrow morning. The second person is available, they are experiencing stalking from someone they used to work with. The stalking screening tools are completed and there is a medium level of concern but with some escalation in the past week. The contacting behaviours have changed from the stalker setting up fake Facebook profiles to attempt contact to the stalker being at the workplace when the client turns up for work. Log keeping is advised, the client does not want to report to the police at the moment, preferring to see if it can be managed through their employer for the time being. A safety and support plan is agreed and they arrange to meet in a couple of days.

The social worker would like advice on how to proceed with a case where there are concerns about someone making applications to the civil court around the child in order to be in the same room as the client. The client doesn’t want any other services involved at the moment, because it would be too much. The ISAC offers advice on how to increase the support around the client and make the judge aware of the dynamics of stalking in the social care court report.

Over lunch the ISAC meets with a colleague to talk through advice that can be given to clients to increase their online safety. She then heads off to meet with a colleague from the Hampshire Stalking Clinic to discuss an upcoming presentation to police investigators as part of a safeguarding day.

On returning to the office, the ISAC makes sure all urgent queries that came in whilst she was out are answered and makes calls to the clients whose cases will be presented at the stalking clinic later on in the week. Whilst clients are unable to attend the meeting, the ISAC can make sure that their voice and experiences are represented to the professionals there, as this will inform the risk that the stalker presents and what work we can do as a result of the clinic.

If you live in Hampshire and are experiencing stalking, we are available from 9am-5pm throughout Stalking Awareness Week on 02392 479 254. For national enquiries, call the Paladin helpline on 07721757071 and 07769995393 or the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300.

Aurora’s Independent Stalking Advocate has an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice and worked for three years as an IDVA before taking on the stalking work. She has completed AVA’s accredited Stella Project training, Safelives’ accredited IDVA training, Paladin’s accredited ISAC training and training in the Stalking Risk Profile, for the assessment and management of stalkers.

Aurora’s Stalking Advocacy Service is funded until April 2017, as part of the Stalking Clinic, by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.