Umme Ali, Bedfordshire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner says, “Stalking must be taken seriously by the police”.
She made the comments in response to the ‘super-complaint’ investigation into police forces across the country and how they respond to stalking claims.
The super-complaint investigation was carried out jointly by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the College of Policing, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
She said: “I welcome the conversations on stalking and [the] national spotlight on this awful crime. Stalking is serious and can have long-lasting effects on victims.
“Stalking must be taken seriously by the police, and I am assured after reading the full report that there are examples of this.
“However, there are concerns where in some cases victims have been let down.
“Part of my role as Deputy PCC is to support the PCC to work with Bedfordshire Police and our partners [to] reduce such crimes and ensure victims of stalking are heard.
“This features in the forthcoming police and crime plan.”
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“In the Police and Crime Commissioners’ office, we fund services that help to tackle stalking.
“We have promoted the work of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust campaign against stalking as well as previously funding the Hollieguard safeguarding app and we continue to promote this.
The Police and Crime Commissioners office has also promoted ‘bystander’ training as a method of tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) which is a Safer Streets initiative.
“I will continue to champion victims of all crimes and ensure they are put at the heart of policing and the wider criminal justice system,” added Ms Ali.
Bedfordshire Police say they have already implemented dedicated officers to support victims of stalking and crackdown on perpetrators.
They say this means victims are given the correct level of support through the investigation.
Statistics released by Bedfordshire Police say that since the start of the year, their officers have secured more than 150 charges against individuals and made 215 stalking-related arrests.
A report on the super-complaint made by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on behalf of National Stalking Consortium can also be read here.
