A cohort of 20 police officers have been trained this week to become Stalking Champions as part of a groundbreaking pilot funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen.
As part of her commitment to step up the response to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), the County Durham and Darlington PCC has provided funding worth £5,610 to Paladin – the National Stalking Advocacy Service – to deliver Stalking Champions Training.
The three-year project will see initially see 20 frontline or investigative police officers trained to understand the difference between stalking and harassment, current legislative options, the use of Stalking Protection Orders, the impact of stalking on victims, safety advice and the assessment of risk. The short course will also link in with the Crown Prosecution Service.
In years two and three, the same officers will receive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training to ensure their knowledge and skills around stalking is up to date.
The Police Champions Model is a new idea aimed at creating a network where Champions can link in and share updates and resources on current national policies, trends and local data with their colleagues as well as acting as a point of contact for case advice.
The PCC is piloting the model on behalf of Paladin nationally.
Commissioner Allen said: “Around one in every five women in the UK and one in 10 men will experience stalking in their lifetimes. In 2022/23 alone. 1,669 stalking offences were reported to Durham Constabulary.
“Stalking can have a severe impact on a victim’s psychological, emotional and physical health and many victims live in daily terror.
“The work we have done to tackle stalking in Durham has received national recognition. Our student officers now receive training on how to investigate stalking and assess risk. We also have new reporting systems in place to identify repeat suspects of stalking offences to increase opportunities to secure Stalking Protection Orders.
“This training pilot takes this work one step further and will help promote a culture of excellent practice within the force where stalking is treated with the seriousness it deserves and victims receive the highest quality response to keep them safe from day one. I am looking forward to monitoring the impact of our work and sharing our experiences with our colleagues nationally.”
There has been increased focus on stalking nationally following a joint inspection into stalking by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) with new legislation, clearer guidance and the introduction of Force Stalking Leads among the improvements.
However, Paladin and other partners in the National Stalking Consortia are concerned with ongoing national issues around mischarging in stalking cases, failures to arrest or investigate and forces not utilising the available powers and legislation to protect victims of stalking.
Stalking is complex and requires different investigation techniques and skills and both the Commissioner and Paladin are determined to deliver appropriate training to ensure victims receive the best protection and that perpetrators are effectively brought to justice.
