Before taking office I supported the fearless and passionate Sam Bumford in her quest to raise awareness about stalking, improve victim support and get a stalking register for those stalked outside a relationship ("Stranger" Stalking). The majority of stalking is associated with relationships
To this end I have campaigned to get her a voice with firstly Katy Bourne PCC for Sussex, who also campaigns to address stalking, and then with the help of Michael Tomlinson MP to formally speak to the then Safeguarding Minister Victoria Atkins.
I have a detailed plan to improve and address stalking in Dorset having not only spoken to victims but also charities such as You First and the police.
As your PCC I took the following actions:
Raised awareness of the issues of stalking and harassment and thereby increasing the number of reports so more victims could be helped.
Used Safer Streets funding to provide an Independent Stalking Advocate Caseworker with the You Trust. This is a service that supports victims of stalking offences, helping to reduce the risk of harm and increase safety. This has allowed the embedding of Independent Stalking Conferences
Have challenged Dorset Police to review their approach to stalking in the light of the the HMIC report into Sussex Police to ensure lessons were learnt and translated across.
Have supported Dorset Police to introduce and start using Stalking Protection Orders alongside Domestic Violence and Sexual Harm Prevention Orders. The ability to drive increases has been limited due to it being an Alliance function where no performance metrics were embedded. This has now been done and staffing issues are also being addressed to improve the service.
Going forward I will:
1. Continue to raise awareness around stalking and harassment
2. Continue to drive the use of civil orders such as SPOs and non-molestation orders
3. Drive the use of Virtual Response allowing police interviews at a victims request to be online increasing their safety
4. Continue to support the Independent Stalking Advocate Caseworker and Stalking Clinics
5. Continue to support initiatives to address the root cause of mysogyny to prevent stalking behaviour in the long-term.
I know how thoroughly wicked stalking is - we have had an instance where my wife was stalked which had to be addressed.