Stalking cases double in West Midlands in three years

There were a total of 620 stalking offences recorded by West Midlands Police in 2019, compared to 304 in 2016.

However, suspects were charged in less than one in five cases.

Data showed stalking has risen every year since becoming a specific crime in 2012.

The annual increase may be partly down to the way police recorded complaints, but the figures suggest the offence is becoming an increasing problem.

There was a jump from 345 in 2017 to 506 a year later before the latest increase in 2019.

Police record stalking in three categories of seriousness, from pursue course of conduct which amounts to stalking, of which there were 365 cases in 2019 - one every day - to stalking involving fear of violence (91) and stalking involving serious alarm or distress (164).

But the figures showed of the 2,385 stalking complaints made to the West Midlands force since 2012, only 417 resulted in a charge.

In 267 cases, no suspect was identified and 41 complaints were deemed not to be in the public interest by either the police or Crown Prosecution Service.

Most of the time, complaints failed to go anywhere because victims did not want to support the prosecution - this happened on 613 occasions - or because of "other evidential difficulty".

It comes after the first Interim Stalking Protection Order, designed to protect people who have experienced stalking, was granted in Staffordshire last week.

The order imposed conditions prohibiting a 36-year-old man from Lichfield from having contact with a woman he repeatedly sent unwanted text messages to, contacted her on social media and threatened with violence. He also fitted a tracking device to her car and used an app on his phone to monitor her movements.

Detective Inspector Paul Cooke, Staffordshire Police's lead for stalking and harassment, said: “The orders will improve the safety of stalking victims by giving the police the authority to address the danger that perpetrators pose while they gather more evidence.

“They allow the police to apply to restrict perpetrator actions, for example, stopping them from contacting the victim. Importantly there will be criminal consequences when these orders are breached."