10 44
IMPACT
Commissioners, Costs and Comparisons: Impact’s Stalking Investigation
Following on from our previous work, Impact continues its investigation into stalking in Nottinghamshire. This time including responses from Nottingham Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, and an account of the shocking ‘cost of stalking’ for a victim. In March, Impact uncovered that previous Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping had allocated over £80,000 to combat stalking in Nottingham. Speaking with the individual currently in the role, Caroline Henry, Impact were told that the Commissioner was “proud” that funding had been continued for Nottingham’s stalking advocacy service for another year. While exact amounts are still being determined, Commissioner Henry did say that they “have increased the overall amount of funding allocated to the three charities’’ which she argued was “a clear sign of how seriously we are taking stalking” and their “commitment to tackling it”. It remains to be seen, however, whether the funds they provide will be adequate to support victims of stalking. She also informed us that she has “recently commissioned a victim needs assessment to listen to the views of victims of crime across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and what they would like to see improved”, to shape the support they provide. Nottingham was the first county to categorise misogyny as a hate crime and Caroline Henry believed this has made the police force more effective. She went on to argue that, by making misogyny a hate crime, it “increases women and girls’ trust and confidence in Nottinghamshire Police and sends a clear message that we care about this and will not tolerate it”.
