Only five stalking protection orders were issued by Norfolk Constabulary last year, despite more than 11,000 reported offences.
Campaigners have asked why more is not being done to protect women, after research by this newspaper revealed the force has used the powerful new measures only seven times since they were introduced in January 2020.
Nationwide an estimated 800 - 1000 of the orders, known as SPOs, have been granted since their introduction and they have been praised by police and experts.
Both Refuge CEO Ruth Davison and Mandy Proctor of Leeway called the figures “disappointing” and said they were of concern.
But a force spokesman said SPOs were not always the most appropriate measure, and that 834 people had been arrested for domestic abuse related crimes in the last three months alone.
It comes after new reporting measures brought in to capture the true scale of stalking and harassment revealed it to be the second most common crime in Norfolk after theft, with 11,058 cases reported in the year to September 2021.
Norfolk Police issued five SPOs in that period, plus one in the early months of the scheme and one last week.
What is an SPO?
SPOs were introduced in January 2020 to help police act faster to stop stalking behaviour, by imposing restrictions or requirements on perpetrators. They are civil orders, but breaching one is a criminal offence.
Police can consider applying for an order where it appears an individual has carried out acts associated with stalking, poses a risk of stalking to a person, and the order seems necessary to protect someone from stalking.
Under the terms of an SPO a stalker might be banned from contacting their victim, or the victim’s family and friends, by any means; banned from going to their address, or addresses where they work or spend time; or banned from making reference to the victim on social media.
Requirements which can be imposed include getting a mental health assessment, attending a rehabilitation programme for drug or alcohol dependency, or providing the police with access to social media accounts and electronic devices.
Police must apply for an SPO in front of a magistrate and must provide the criminal standard of proof to have their application granted.
A review by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) after the first year of the scheme found four in five applications were given the green light, with 436 SPOs granted nationwide.
In that period Norfolk applied for just one SPO, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted by this newspaper.
The HMTCS review also found 78 per cent of police surveyed felt SPOs were effective at reducing the risks of stalking.
“Why are they not using their powers?”
Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said this “makes it clear that the police are not using all the tools in their power to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls".
She added: "Stalking and harassment are increasingly common crimes, with an exponential rise in the last few years. Why, then, are the police not using the powers prescribed to them in response?
“Violence against women and girls should be a priority concern for the police, but we have seen repeatedly how the police are failing to react to the seriousness of these crimes and put in place protections for women who need them.”
Mandy Proctor, chief executive of Norfolk domestic abuse charity Leeway, said: “It is disappointing to see Stalking Protection Orders not used more as they are a really useful tool and help to keep victims safe.”
But, she said, there are other measures available to protect victims including new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and Notices.
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners' national lead on stalking, Katy Bourne, said deploying SPOs shows victims that they are being listened to and are being believed.
“It’s vital that [PCCs] insist that police forces also use all the tools at their disposal to break the cycle of offending through securing SPOs,” she said.
“There will be many factors behind the variation in the numbers of SPOs that each force applies for and obtains, but my hope is that if police understand the serious and sometimes fatal impact of stalking they will be determined to use SPOs where possible to protect victims.”
A Norfolk Constabulary spokeswoman said the force takes stalking and harassment very seriously, has given officers extra training, and deploys more resources to domestic abuse than any other crime type.
She added: “In the last three months we arrested 834 people for domestic abuse related crimes.
“The application for a SPO may not always be the most appropriate measure to take, as we need to be able to prove the stalking behaviour beyond reasonable doubt and can therefore face evidential difficulties as we do in prosecutions.
“Only last week we secured an interim SPO so applications will be made where it is felt appropriate.”
She pointed to other tools including the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Partnership Approach, a multi-agency scheme to identify the worst repeat offenders, and Domestic Violence Protection Notices and Orders, which can provide short-term protection prior to an arrest. In the last year 35 DVPNs and 20 DVPOs were granted.
She said: “We would always urge anyone who believes they may be a victim of domestic abuse, including stalking, to come forward at the earliest opportunity and report their concerns to police or other support agencies so we can work with them to protect them.”
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