Stalking

Stalking is a devastating crime suffered by more than a million people a year. New figures obtained by 5Live Investigates reveal that men are the hidden victims. Are the police letting them down? The latest figures estimate that nearly half a million men have been stalked but only a tiny fraction of those incidents were recorded by the police. A Freedom of Information request by 5Live Investigates reveals that just 1800 crimes of stalking in which the victims were men were recorded over the last four years, since the obligation came in for police to log it as a crime. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust has described the figure as likely to be "a drip in the ocean". Very often victims don't report the offence when it happens to them. But even when they do, men who spoke to the programme said the authorities don't take them seriously. Their concerns are echoed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary which said in a report last year that victims were left at risk by poorly run investigations and that stalking often went unrecorded. The Home Office said those suffering stalking should be supported regardless of gender and that the new civil stalking protection orders due to be introduced would protect them at an early stage. If you are affected by these issues you can find details of organisations providing help and support here: bbc.co.uk/actionline.