What Should I Expect From The Police?
In August 2009 the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) published its ‘PRACTICE ADVICE ON INVESTIGATING STALKING AND HARASSMENT’. ACPO leads and co-ordinates the direction of the police service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These guidelines are like a ‘gold standard’ that police forces should strive for when investigating a complaint of stalking. Working with ACPO, Network for Surviving Stalking produced a ‘Victim’s version’ of the guidelines. (Download your copy at the bottom of the page.) We’re extremely grateful to ACPO for the input into this document and hope it’ll clarify what you should expect if you make a complaint to your local police about stalking.
But..
The Practice advice is not “legally binding” to police forces. ACPO says “The implementation of all guidance will require operational choices to be made at local level in order to achieve the appropriate police response.” Basically, it’s down to the top ranking officers in your police force area. They take responsibility for the level of priority that stalking and harassment is given in your region as well as the standards of investigation. If you read the information below, you know what SHOULD happen when you contact the police about a stalking case – if you’re not satisfied with the way your case is being handled, let the Chief Officers in your area know. You can find contact details for all police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at http://www.police.uk/forces.htm If you’d like any further information or if you’d like to give Network for Surviving Stalking feedback that can be used to improve services for stalking victims, please email campaign@nss.org.uk
Download the ‘Victim’s version’ of The ACPO Practice Guidelines on investigating stalking here:
