Police officers to receive 'further training' on stalking 'behaviours'

Police officers in Leicestershire will receive “further training” on how to recognise stalking “behaviours”. The move comes after a report found issues across the policing of the crime across England and Wales.

The report followed a super-complaint from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium which looked into how police responded to stalking offences. Half of the report's 29 recommendations focus on police actions and how they need to ensure behaviours are correctly logged on systems and not missed by officers in the first place.

Leicestershire Police is among the forces that said it was now “putting into action” recommendations in the wake of the report. Prior to the report's publication, Leicestershire Police said it had identified areas where it could “improve in the identification and investigation of stalking offences”, following an “audit of stalking crimes” last year.

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Since spring 2024, Leicestershire Police said every crime reported to it as stalking has been “triaged” with a “detailed plan” added to its crime systems. This move had provided “guidance to investigators”.

Detective Superintendent Chris Baker, the force lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, said this had “helped” as it “concentrates the officer’s mind on what to be looking for”. The plan also advises how the force can “signpost victims to organisations for support”. Separately, the force has implemented the National Stalking Screening Tool which has “helped identify patterns of behaviour and investigative plans.”

The changes come following the 2022 super-complaint by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. It raised “several concerns” about the police response to stalking, including the “misidentification of stalking”, “flawed investigations leading to inappropriate no further action decisions” and the “risk of serious harm and homicide to the victim not being recognised by the police.”

Among the many high profile cases to spark the concerns include Alice Ruggles. The 24-year-old, from Tur Langton, near Market Harborough, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Lance Corporal Trimaan ‘Harry’ Dhillon after he broke into her Gateshead flat in October 2016. The former Leicester High School for Girls student had twice reported him to police over stalking concerns before she was killed, sparking internal reviews from Northumbria Police in the wake of her death.

The super-complaint led to a two-year investigation by The Independent Office For Police Conduct, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and the College of Policing. As a result of the investigation, the agencies found “clear evidence” supporting the concerns raised in the super-complaint which “can lead to the poor experience reported by victims.”

The agencies set out 29 recommendations for police, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Police and Crime Commissioners. Half of the recommendations concerned the police.

The report's findings and recommendations, published in September this year, were set out under three themes:

• Providing a better foundation for policing to create a good service for stalking victims

• Meeting expected standards now and doing the fundamentals well

• Iimplementing what works, spreading promising practice and encouraging innovation

In the wake of the report, Leicestershire Police said its Threat Assessment Unit will triage all crimes flagged as possible stalking being made to the force and will allocate them to the correct team. Stalking offences will then be allocated to detectives in the Complex Investigation Team (CIT), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit (DAIU).

Detective Superintendent Baker said: “This work, the changes we have implemented, is all ongoing, as we respond to the needs of the public we serve. The tragic cases of Alice Ruggles and Gracie Spinks, both murdered by their stalkers, are stark examples that highlight the dangers of stalking and how important it is to recognise the stages of behaviour promptly so it can be dealt with effectively, and in doing so protect victims of this behaviour.

“The super-complaint brought into sharp focus the areas in which we – policing as a whole –need to improve in relation to stalking and stalking investigations. The changes we’ve made so far, and those we are currently implementing, in line with the recommendations, make us better equipped to recognise, investigate and secure charges in stalking investigations.

“More importantly, they will help us give victims the protection they need.” The full list of 29 recommendations can be found on the Government’s website by searching for ‘super-complaint on the police response to stalking’.

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