WHAT MAKES A STALKER? By Jackie Rankin

More than 80,000 cases of stalking were reported to police last year*. Some areas saw cases soar as lockdowns made it easier to target victims in their homes.

Campaigners for Gracie’s Law, named after 23 year old Gracie Spinks, murdered by a stalker she’d reported to police, are calling for advocates within every police force to support victims.

In Cheshire, the focus is also on working with perpetrators. The guiding principle is that, if they can be helped to change their behaviour, the public will be better protected.

Daniel Price-Jones (pictured below), is a forensic psychologist, working as part of Cheshire Constabulary’s Harm Reduction Unit, a unique partnership of police, probation, and health and victim advocacy services.

It’s only by changing behaviour that we can reduce the risk.

They select candidates from emergency calls and the criminal justice service. The person is then offered intensive support from the health team - Dan, an occupational therapist and a mental health nurse.

He couldn’t be clearer. This is not treatment or rehabilitation. It is about protecting the public.

“It’s only by changing behaviour that we can reduce the risk. They may still go to prison or into mental health care, but that’s not always the answer.”

The team is trained in stalking risk profiling, the gold standard assessment tool. They only work with people they feel are ready to change.

They have to get it right. Research by former police officer Dr Jane Monkton Smith looked at 350 murders of women by men. 94 per cent had stalking behaviours.

Most cases won’t get to that point, says Dan. But half will end up in physical violence. And stalking always causes psychological harm to the victim, which can result in trauma, self harm or suicide.

In 350 murders of women by men 94 per cent had stalking behaviours.

Forensic psychologist Daniel Price-Jones.

Joel Goodman

WHAT DOES A STALKER LOOK LIKE?

“They don’t fit the stereotype of a shadowy character loitering behind bushes”, says Dan.

Neither do most stalkers have diagnosable mental health issues. What they all share is a psychological problem in how they relate to other people and a strong sense of entitlement.

Dan explains: “They are driven by a goal – usually to forge a relationship. When that fails they feel entitled to inflict suffering on the person for not meeting their needs.”

Assessing risk takes considerable skill. Dan gives an example.

“If the stalker’s aim is to re-establish a relationship, the risk of violence is low, because they need the person to come back. But while the victims resists the risk is high. It’s a dilemma.”

Where does stalking begin? “Perhaps someone experienced an upbringing that was cold and aloof, so they may invest heavily in adult relationships to meet their need to be valued, wanted and desirable” says Dan.

“They’ll do everything in their power to control the relationship and fulfil their goal. When that doesn’t work they’ll manipulate and coerce the victim through fear to help them stay in control.”

They don’t always know their victim. Headlines are made by people stalking celebrities and the unit has supported stars of sport, television and music worlds.

Ella Byworth

They’ll do everything in their power to control the relationship.

Others want intimacy and companionship, but lack the social skills to form a relationship. “We can explain this sort of stalking as a naïve or clumsy courtship”, says Dan, however if you’re the victim it still causes distress”.

There’s emerging evidence organisations and their staff can be stalked. “The person may feel they’d been treated unfairly and become aggrieved – or they may misinterpret an act of goodwill as a romantic overture”, says Dan.

The unit was launched in 2015; the culmination of a shared vision by Dan and police colleagues to consolidate what had been an informal information sharing arrangement.

Funding from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust helped them establish a service that has since been evaluated by University College London as highly effective.

Dan is proud of their work. “People ask how we measure our success. If someone continues their life without further incident we’ve done our job. And that’s what happens in most cases.

“We only work with people who we feel are ready to change their behaviour, or we can see the potential to change. They’re often vulnerable – they may be victims too, but our job is to protect the public and that’s what we’ll do.”

*Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

EMPOWERING VICTIMS

John and Kate* lived on the same estate and had been close friends, but when he tried to become more intimate she broke off the relationship.

John became fixated, persistently loitered near her house and bombarded her with unwanted gifts, phone calls, emails and messages.

Kate told local police she felt scared and intimidated. John had no criminal record or history but it was agreed that the events were a case of stalking and police put in place a restraining order.

The team then set to work with Kate to help her feel safe, and with John to help him understand the recklessness of his behaviour, and find ways to reduce the risk of him doing the same thing to someone else. Kate feels empowered that her experience has been taken seriously by police, and says the involvement of the team has reassured her and reduced her distress.

John’s coming to terms with interpersonal difficulties and how these contribute to his actions. He hasn’t tried to contact Kate since.

*Names have been changed

GET HELP AND SUPPORT

• Call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger. Contact your local police if it’s not an emergency

• National Stalking Helpline: 0808 802 0300. Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm (except Wednesday 1pm to 4pm) suzylamplugh.org

• Paladin, the national stalking advocacy service: paladinservice.co.uk

• Protection against Stalking: protectionagainststalking.org

• Victim and Witness Information: victimandwitnessinformation.org.uk