Hertfordshire Police launch stalking awareness campaign during national week of action

Hertfordshire Constabulary has launched a new campaign to coincide with National Stalking Awareness Week, making people aware of the seriousness of the crime.

A police force spokesman said: “Stalking can seem trivial but the fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviour can have devastating consequences for victims.”

Starting today (24 March) the police will be raising awareness of the dangers of predatory stalking and harassment behaviours, and how these actions can escalate.

This year’s theme is Standing Against Stalking: supporting young people.

To raise awareness the force will be releasing a series of short videos on social media on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

They highlight the misconceptions about stalking and use real life examples of Hertfordshire victims.

Hertfordshire Constabulary has a specialist Domestic Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (DAISU), which works with other agencies to safeguard victims and bring offenders before the courts.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Dalton, who heads up the DAISU, said: “Anyone can be a victim of stalking irrespective of age, gender or race and stalking is a recognised criminal offence. Sadly, some offenders get so obsessive and fixated on their victims that their behaviour can quickly escalate and even put victims’ lives in danger.”

Hertfordshire police use an acronym that spells out FOUR to define stalking, it is behaviour which is Fixated, Obsessive, Unwanted and Repeated.

“Young people may not always recognise this kind of behaviour as stalking and they are especially vulnerable to being stalked on social media, which can be just as dangerous as following someone,” added DCI Dalton.

Websites have been highlighted by the police force as a stalking activity can happen remotely. The police force has flagged social networking sites, chat rooms, gaming sites and other forums as places where people can be harassed.

Offenders can call, text, or email people persistently, while other offenders set up fake social media accounts to spy on or impersonate someone.

She continued: “You don’t even have to be in a relationship to be a victim of stalking. A stalking victim may even romanticise about the behaviour, which can include repeated texts, gifts, turning up at school/university or work and contacting family members or friends.

“It’s important that everyone recognises the signs and look out for changes in behaviour of your children, friends or neighbours, which can include being

withdrawn, becoming more introverted or anxious and some people have suicidal thoughts.

“Stalking can affect people of all ages, genders and backgrounds and identities.”

Specialist officers deal Stalking Prevention Orders which puts strict measures in place to protect victims.

They usually include prohibitions for the offender like areas they must avoid and may include not contacting their victim in any way, including via social media. A breach of a stalking protection order is a criminal offence, and the offender could be sent to prison.

Concerned people can contact the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300 or seek out further advice online here.