Over 90 per cent of stalking cases go unsolved, shocking figures show
MORE than 77 people are stalked or harassed every hour, but over 90 per cent of cases go unsolved, new analysis shows.
It comes as charities and campaigners mark National Stalking Awareness week.
Labour today slammed ministers for “failing to get a grip” of the creepy crime.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed the scourge of stalking isn’t treated with the seriousness or urgency it requires.
She vowed to introduce a National Stalking Action Plan and overhaul police responses to ensure victims get help as quickly as possible.
New data from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust shows that Stalking Protection Orders, designed to provide immediate protection for victims by placing strict conditions on perpetrators, are underused by the police.
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Some forces applied for fewer than ten orders in a year.
The Shadow Home Secretary said she would force cops to consider Stalking Protection Orders within 24 hours when a report comes in.
For the first time, the police would be required to provide reasons for not applying for protection orders in relevant cases.
And data would have to be regularly submitted to the Home Office and NPCC to ensure accountability and oversight.
Ms Cooper said: “Stalking is a devastating crime which tears lives apart but persistently goes unpunished.
“For too long ministers have failed to treat the soaring scourge of stalking with the urgency and seriousness it requires.
“That’s why Labour would develop a new National Stalking Action Plan, in consultation with stakeholders, to transform the response to this terrible crime, and why we’d ensure that the police are using the protective tools available to them at the earliest opportunity to save lives.
“Under a Labour government, the police will be asked to strain every sinew to get dangerous perpetrators who hurt and harm women off our streets.”
Interim CEO of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Emma Lingley-Clark, said: “We are heartened by today’s commitment from the Labour Party to introduce a National Stalking Action Plan, something we have been campaigning for as part of our National Stalking Awareness Week campaign.
“A National Stalking Action Plan is the first step in developing a whole-systems approach to tackling stalking across all different agencies.
“We know that agencies work better when they work together as demonstrated through our piloted and evaluated stalking specific perpetrator interventions, such as the Multi-Agency Stalking Intervention Programme.”