Sussex PCC's video log: #StandUpToStalking

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, explains why it is important that we all #StandUpToStalking
Katy BourneKaty Bourne
Katy Bourne

Mrs Bourne, who has her own malevolent experience of stalking, is calling on her fellow PCCs, police forces and criminal justice agencies to join the dots and understand the behaviour of stalking and to stop treating each case as a separate incident but to look for the pattern in the perpetrator’s behaviour.

One in five women and one in ten men will experience stalking at some stage in their life. It became a crime in 2012 but, six years later, it is still not properly understood and many police forces are still failing victims.

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In September 2017 Mrs Bourne provided a two-year £92.5k grant (co-commissioned with Sussex Police) to fund a local, specialist service provided by Veritas Justice. Over 650 police officers and professionals have now been trained, including 18 prosecutors.

Last year, Sussex Police saw an average 300% increase in reports of stalking and three times as many cases have been solved compared to the previous 12 months.

Remember, stalking can be defined as the dangerous FOUR if the behaviour is: Fixated, Obsessive, Unwanted or Repeated. So don’t suffer in silence - report stalking and make sure police understand how the behaviour is making you feel.

More #StandUpToStalking videos can be found by clicking here.