By Joshua Robinson – 

West Yorkshire Police made 23,696 arrests on charges of stalking or harassment between April 2019 and March 2024, with detentions rising by 115% in that time.

This data, collected by criminal injury claim experts JF Law, has been revealed as the government unveiled plans to crack down on stalking.

To read JF Law’s original research, please visit their website at: https://www.jflaw.co.uk/criminal-injury-claim/.

Arrests for stalking or harassment, both of which are offences under The Protection from Harassment Act 1997, have consistently risen over the past half-decade.

From 3,099 detainments in 2019/20, there was a rise to 4,502 in 2020/21. Arrests on stalking or harassment charges then increased to 4,618 in 2021/22, and 5,279 the year after.

West Yorkshire Police logged 6,648 arrests in 2023/24, more than double the number recorded by other forces including West Midlands Police (3,274) and Sussex Police (2,892).

9,742 of the arrests involved an offender who had already been detained on stalking or harassment charges. In 2023/24, 2,855 arrests (43% of the total) were of repeat offenders.

JF Law also found that 557 of the arrests involved an offender aged 17 or younger.

The most represented age group was 25-34 year-olds, with 8,507 arrests recorded. People aged 35-44 were arrested 6,712 times, with the number of detentions going up by 183% over five years.

A further 283 arrests were of people aged 65 or older.

White Ribbon Day, an international campaign aimed at eliminating violence against women and girls, took place on 25th November 2024. The theme of last year’s campaign was ‘It Starts With Men’. In West Yorkshire, 90.42% of those arrested for stalking, harassment or both were men.

Also in November, West Yorkshire joined other police forces in publishing an ‘action plan’ to act on a super-complaint about police handling of stalking reports, which was raised two years previously by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. An independent investigation by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and the College of Policing led to recommendations being given to all police forces which West Yorkshire Police confirmed that they accepted entirely.

On their website, the force said: “West Yorkshire Police is committed to improving their response to stalking. As a ‘deep dive’ force, the Force has however been working to make improvements in these areas since summer 2023 and will continue to do so.”

The government has outlined plans to act on stalking and harassment, which the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated to have affected one in five women and one in 11 men aged 16 or above.

On 3rd December, the Home Office announced plans to roll out anti-stalking measures including the ‘Right to Know’ statutory guidance which will allow police to release an offender’s identity “at the earliest opportunity.”

The measures would also make Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) more available, giving courts the ability to impose SPOs directly when an offender is convicted.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We will use every tool available to us to give more power to victims and take it away from the hands of their abusers.”

“This starts with empowering police to give women the right to know the identity of their online stalkers, strengthening stalking protection orders and ensuring that the police work with all support services to give victims the protection they deserve.”

The announcement also included a Home Office vow to publish data on stalking offences.

Claire Waxman OBE, London’s Victims’ Commissioner, said in November: “I have lost faith that these laws are fit for purpose. Police are struggling to distinguish between stalking and harassment, leading to potentially dangerous offenders to get off with lighter sentences or evade justice completely.”

“12 years on, I am calling for the Government to create a standalone stalking offence that provides a clear definition of stalking to simplify investigations and prosecutions and remove the onus on the victim to prove the impact of the behaviour and instead turn our focus on the stalkers and their behaviour.”

JF Law provides free, round-the-clock guidance for victims of violent crime who are considering seeking compensation for their injuries.

Guidance and consultation from their team of advisors can be accessed via their website, www.jflaw.co.uk, or by calling 0151 375 9916.

To read JF Law’s original research, please visit their website at: https://www.jflaw.co.uk/criminal-injury-claim/.

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