Stalking offences in London soar by 50 per cent in a year

Stalking and harassment offences in London soared by more than 50 per cent in a year, figures reveal. There were 952 such crimes recorded in the capital last year compared with 612 in 2016.

Police and the Crown Prosecution Service were criticised by a watchdog in July last year for under-recording stalking and harassment offences and having an inconsistent approach.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found that these crimes were often missed or misunderstood by both the police and the CPS. Figures obtained after a Freedom of Information request show a 65 per cent rise in recorded stalking and harassment offences between 2015 — when there were 576 — and 2017.

This includes an increase in stalking with a fear of violence, and stalking that causes serious alarm or distress.

A spokesman for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which runs the National Stalking Helpline, said the rise in offences is a “good indication that stalking is being recognised more by police”, but the numbers were still low. “We know from the Crime Survey of England and Wales that 1.1 million people were stalked last year, and the numbers we see in recorded cases do not compare to that overall figure,” he added.

Earlier this month, a stalker was banned from contacting Billie Piper after he sent letters to the actress, showed up at her north London home unannounced, and posted cards through her letterbox. Philip Andrew Jerome, 40, pleaded guilty to stalking at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court.

In January Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis spoke about the strain of being stalked by a man she met at university. Edward Vines was jailed for nearly four years after he admitted two breaches of an indefinite order banning him from contacting her.

A Met police spokesman said: “In recent years, the public and police officers have gained a better understanding of the different forms that stalking can take, including online, which has led to an increase in stalking being reported by victims and recorded by police.”

The force is checking reports of incidents such as criminal damage for any stalking cases hidden within them.