Plaid Cymru Parliamentary Leader, Rt Hon Elfyn Llwyd MP, has voiced concerns over figures showing that England and Wales are being outstripped by Scotland when it comes to prosecuting stalking offenders and urged action to deliver better results for victims.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Stalking and Harassment – founded and chaired by Mr Llwyd – will today (Monday) receive a briefing on the latest data on stalking prosecutions in the UK.
The first analysis of the national figures showed that although prosecutions for Stalking and Harassment increased after the legislation was introduced across the UK, Scotland has outperformed England and Wales.
Speaking ahead of the APPG meeting, Mr Llwyd said:
“I have already been given sight of these figures and they are a stark reminder that there is a long way to go in order to deliver justice for all victims and perform as well as Scotland.
“In Scotland, during the first 16 months of the new stalking legislation being in force, 362 prosecutions commenced. The total number of cases brought to court in England and Wales during a similar period by contrast was 834.
“Figures also show that in England and Wales, 38% of police officers and 50% of CPS staff have received adequate training to deal with reports of stalking and harassment.
“While this is encouraging, figures show that there are huge variations from force to force which must be attended to. For example, 361 officers in the Lancashire Police Service had received the Stalking and Harassment in June 2013 – the figure had risen to 1,753 by January. In stark contrast, Dyfed Powys Police Service figures rose only from 9 to 13 in the same six month period.
“I believe the reason Scotland is doing so well is that Stalking and Harassment are being treated as priority crimes and because victims get advocates. I would strongly encourage police forces throughout England and Wales to adopt this approach without delay.
“The key to increasing prosecution and conviction rates relies on training to change attitudes towards stalking, improve investigation, and secure robust and adequate prosecutions.
“The APPG will look closely at these figures and agree upon how we can play a role in improving these outcomes. With new data also showing that at least half of calls passed on to front-line officers are complaints originating from social media, we will also be concentrating efforts on taking action to tackle the growing problem of cyber-crime and online abuse.”
