Truth Be Told: Inside the UK’s Stalking Epidemic
Change within society can be a good thing. The right kind of transformation— such as increased property value, expanded culture, and improved safety— can have a positive impact on the overall vitality of a community. On the other side of things, the wrong kind of change can be damaging if action isn’t taken. In the United Kingdom, a dramatic rise in stalking cases reported since 2016 have created awareness, which will hopefully reduce the risk of future criminal activity of this nature.
Stalking is a crime in which uninvited attention befalls an individual. This form of harassment usually comes about due to obsessive behavior and/or factors related to intimidation. Some of the more prevalent tactics stalkers use to harass their victims include incessant physical or digital following, monitoring, spying, or contacting of a person. These perverted acts of privacy invasion can leave victims and their families physically, emotionally, and psychologically damaged. While punishable for up to six months in prison or a fine, stalking is considered a major offense in the UK, but many stalkers get away with these types of crimes because victims tend to not report them for a number of reasons.
According to the UK-based stalking advocacy organization, Paladin, there were upwards of 700,000 reports of women being stalked each year in England and Wales between 2009-2012. Though alarmingly high, the reported numbers are a mere fraction of the estimated 5 million total cases of stalking that occurred for both men and women during that same time frame. This means only less than 20% of the suspected cases of stalking were reported. This is typically due to victims being fearful of the consequences for reporting stalkers, being embarrassed by the situation, or feeling as if their victimization isn’t worthy of reporting. However, this trend seems to be changing as of recently and it has been eye-opening for authorities and local communities.
Police reports from various regions throughout England and Wales have seen a major uptick in stalking cases reported, year-over-year. The North East region saw 610 cases of stalking in 2017, nearly a 600% increase from the previous year’s number of 62 reports. In the southeastern county of Surrey, reported stalking cases more than doubled from 80 to 205 in the same amount of time. The overall number of reported stalking cases throughout England and Wales has jumped to 8,628 from 4,597 between 2016-2017. The nearly-doubled number of reports doesn’t necessarily mean that stalking has become more prevalent in the UK, but it does mean that more victims are opening up about their experiences.
What can we attribute as the main reason for stalking victims suddenly filing more reports in the UK? Some sources say it’s due to increase in action by authorities. Others say it’s due to the growth in awareness of the possible dangers of stalking— such as physical violence and death.
"(Stalking) is a crime which has been poorly understood and without doubt, underestimated. It is only now being recogni(z)ed that the serious manifestations of stalking underpin some of the worst and more serious forms of anti-social behavi(o)rs and violent crimes.”
—Ann Moulds, CEO and founder of Action Against Stalking
So, what’s the best way to continue bringing awareness to crimes that involve stalking? Taking action. File any and all reports. Inform authorities and those close to you of all your stalking encounters. Keep a record of each occurrence and make it as detailed as possible. Protect yourself at all costs. There’s no such thing as a case of stalking that’s less important or too small, but allowing it to continue creates the possibility of it manifesting into a more dangerous situation. Putting an end to stalking before is gets worse is of utmost importance for your safety and well being.
