Stalking and harassment arrests in Devon and Cornwall rise by almost 250% in five years

Devon and Cornwall Police made 1,315 arrests on charges of stalking or harassment between April 2019 and March 2024, with arrests rising by a massive 243% in that time, according to new data.

Devon and Cornwall Police made 1,315 arrests on charges of stalking or harassment between April 2019 and March 2024, with arrests rising by a massive 243% in that time, according to new data.

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

Arrests for stalking or harassment, both of which are offences under The Protection from Harassment Act 1997, have consistently risen until last year.

There were 130 arrests recorded in 2019/20, a figure which rose slightly to 167 the year after.

More than 93% of all offenders were identified as male.

Arrests then went up to 240 in 2021/22 before increasing again to 332 in 2022/23.

In the most recently completed financial year, 2023/24, Devon and Cornwall Police logged 446 stalking or harassment arrests.

11 people arrested for stalking or harassment across the five-year period were under 18 years old. 

The most commonly spotted age group was of 25-34 year-olds, who accounted for 407 of the offences. Meanwhile, 35-44 year-olds were arrested on 345 occasions. All age groups were represented in the figures, with Devon and Cornwall Police recording 39 cases where the offender was aged 65 or older.

White Ribbon Day, an international campaign aimed at eliminating violence against women and girls, took place on November 25th this year. The theme of this year’s campaign was ‘It Starts With Men’. In Devon and Cornwall, out of the offences where the police identified the suspect’s gender, a shocking 93.38% were identified as male.

In November police forces published 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 a series of recommendations for police forces.

On December 3, 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 them 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. The data is not currently publicly available, while the Ministry of Justice did not respond to JF Law’s request to provide the latest data on SPOs.

12 years on from The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 identifying stalking as an offence separate from harassment in law, there are still calls for further reform.

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.