StalkingduringlockdownconditionsLisaTompsonandJyotiBelurUCLJillDandoInstitute

Theproblem

Stalkinghasbeenaparticularlydifficultbehaviourtodefinelegally.IntheUKcontextitisbroadlyunderstoodashavingtwocomponents:

• acourseofconduct(twoormoreacts),that• inducesfearoraconcernforsafety(ofthepersonbeingtargetedorafamilymember).

Stalkingischaracterisedbyfixatedandobsessionalbehaviour,whichcanpresentitselfinmanyways,andstemsfromavarietyofpsychologicalmotivations.DespiteUKstalkinglegislationgainingsignificantmomentuminrecentyears,distinguishingstalkingfromharassmentornuisanceremainsdifficult.

WhatweknowaboutstalkingintheUKandhowweknowit

Stalkingiswidelyconsideredagender-basedviolentcrime,withperpetratorspredominantlymenandvictimspredominantlywomen.Indeed,researchindicatesthatanoverwhelmingmajority(over90%)ofvictimsofintimatepartnerviolencereportstalkingasoneofthemanykindsofviolenceperpetratedbypartners.IntheUK,stalkingisdefinedbyunwantedandrepeatedcontact,whichmeansthatarelationshipmusthaveendedforthebehaviourtobeconsideredstalking.Betweenhalftothree-quartersofstalkingintheUKrelatestoavictimandoffenderwhohavepreviouslybeeninanintimaterelationship.Stalkerscanalsobeacquaintancesofthevictim,haveacurrentorformerprofessionalrelationshipwiththevictimor,inaminorityofcases,canbestrangers.Alargeproportionofstalkingincidentsarenotreportedtopolice,despitetheCrimeSurveyforEnglandandWales(CSEW)estimatingthatthereareoveronemillionvictimseachyear.

Ofthosestalkingoffencesthatarereportedtothepolice,only12.7%resultinaconvictionatcourt.Researchhasfoundthatlegalsanctionsinandofthemselvesoftendonotaddressthefixationandobsessionoftheperpetrator,andthusthecriminaljusticesystemcannotberelieduponsolelytoreducestalkingreoffending.

Stalkingcancauseprolongedanddevastatingharmtovictims.Thisbehaviour,whichseeninisolationmaynotappearthreatening,hasacumulativeeffectovertimeandinterfereswithmanyaspectsofthevictim’slife.Fearofimpendingviolenceisoneofthemostdebilitatingeffectsofstalkingonvictims,andthefactthatsome40%ofstalkingcasesinvolveviolencesuggeststhatfearsarewarranted.

Whatwethinkmighthappeninthecovid-19pandemic

Fromtheoffender’sperspective,lockdownmightmeanhavingmoretimetospendonobsessiveandfixatedbehaviour,withfewerdistractionsfromit.Furthermore,behindcloseddoorsandwhentheirroutineisdestabilised,stalkersaremorelikelytofeeldisinhibitedandthis,combinedwithincreasedalcoholanddrugconsumption,willinsomecasesleadtoanincreaseincontactswiththevictim.Increasedstressorsassociatedwiththepandemicmayalsocauseanoffender’smentalhealthtodeteriorateandleadthemtoresumestalkingbehaviourthathadpreviouslyceased(thisisknownas‘recurrence’instalkingresearch).

Socialdistancingisliabletoleadtoashifttowardsonlineanddigitalcontactwithvictimssincetheopportunityforphysicalcontacthasbeenrestricted.Oncethelockdownislifted,asharpriseinphysical

Aboutthisseries:Thisisbrief9ofaseriesofshort,speculativepapersdevelopedbytheUCLJillDandoInstitutetosupportthepoliceservicesduringthecurrentpandemic.Theraisond’êtreoftheseriesisfullydescribedat:https://www.ucl.ac.uk/jill-dando-institute/research/COVID-19-special-papers

andviolentcontactisexpected,especiallyinthecaseofoffenderswithmentalhealthissues.Iftheyfeeltheyhavenothingtolose,theirviolencemayincreaseincludingthepossibilityofimminentcatastrophicattacks.Giventhatmostoffendershavecompliedbetterwithbailandrestrainingordersduringlockdown,oncethisisremovedwecanexpectasurgeinreportsofstalkingbehaviours.

Animmediatedropincallsbyvictimstoreportstalkingtothepoliceandotherserviceshasbeenobservedinthefirstweeksoflockdown,becausevictimsfeelthattheyshouldnotbetakingresourcesfrompublicservices.Anincreaseinreportingasthelockdownisextendedislikelybutisexpectedtoincreasesignificantlyinthemonthstocome.Additionally,victimswillhavebeenunderacutepressureduringthelockdownandmayreportmorelow-levelstalkingbehavioursthattheywouldnothavepreviouslyreported.Alternatively,theremightbeanincreaseinreportsofmaliciouscommunications,whichconceallow-levelstalkingbehaviour.

Theimpactonthevictimcouldbetwo-fold-ontheonehandtheymightfeelremovedfromthesituationandprotectedfromphysicalcontactbecauseofthelockdownthusleavingthemlessfearful.Ontheotherhand,victimsarereportingthattheyfeellike‘sittingducks’andarehighlyanxious.Ifstalkingbehaviourhasmovedonlineandviatelephones,thenvictimsmightbeunabletoavoidusingdevicesunderlockdownconditionsastheyarealinktosocialsupportstructures,leadingtoincreasedstressandanxiety.

Someideasinresponse

PoliceneedtothinktacticallyabouthowtheycanusetechnologytopreventstalkingduringandaftertheCOVID-19pandemichaspassed,sothattheonusofprotectingthemselvesisnotwhollyonthevictims.PolicecanreceiveprofessionaladviceonrespondingtostalkingcasesviatheSuzyLamplughTrust’sstalkinghelpline.

Sincemoststalkingbehaviourismovingonlineandviadigitalmediatheinvestigativeresponsebythepoliceshouldinvolvethecybercrimeunit.Oneoptionistoreplacethevictim’sphonewithadifferentdeviceandseizetheoriginaldeviceforforensicinvestigationforchargingandprosecutingpurposes.

Victimsneedtobegivensupportandadviceduringthelockdownperiodsincetheunderlyingriskemanatingfromthefixatedandobsessivebehaviourremainsduringandfollowingthepandemic.Thereisalsoaneedforpoliceandsupportagenciestoprovidebespokeadvicetovictimsinformingthemabouttheoptionsavailabletoprotectthemselvesdigitally.

Relevantresources

Office forNational Statistics, 2017.Crime in England andWales: year ending June 2017.Available here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/crimeinenglandandwalesyearendingjune2017

Belur,J;Tompson,L;Jerath,K;(2019)MASIPevaluationfinalreport.UCLJillDandoInstituteofSecurityandCrimeScience:London,UK.Availablehere:https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10097009/

Researchonstalking,commissionedbytheSuzyLamplughTrust.Availablehere:https://www.suzylamplugh.org/report-launch-out-of-sight-out-of-mind-two-years-on