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Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) have been issued in a very low number, warns campaigners. Introduced five years ago, SPOs are civil orders applied for by the police on behalf of victims that prohibit activities such as entering restricted areas and making contact, but rarely used against perpetrators of harassment. A Freedom of Information request sent to 40 forces within the United Kingdom revealed just 1,388 SPOs have been requested from January 2020, compared to almost 440,000 cases recorded by the UK’s 44 police establishments between 2020 and 2023.
According to Clive Ruggles, whose daughter was murdered by a stalker in 2016, SPOs are crucial and must be used correctly to protect victims. He stated that it’s “getting increasingly exasperated” that the orders were so little used five years after being introduced. He questioned authorities on why they fought for these orders but have not ensured their usage.
Amy, a business owner from Middlesbrough who is in her mid-thirties and has long, dyed blonde hair, was tormented by her ex-husband after their 18-year marriage ended. He tracked her whereabouts through her watch, trolled her on social media, and made tiny bank transfers to get her attention and remain in her life. After ignoring police warnings to stop, Cleveland Police suggested SPOs, which Amy thought would stop all contact with her ex-husband forever. However, she initially found the terms of the order to be too specific, meaning unless her ex-husband breached the exact terms outlined in it, he would not be pursued.
The Alice Ruggles Trust campaigned to get SPOs passed into law. According to Mr. Ruggles, SPOs provide a valuable restraining means that must be used properly. Labour MP Jess Phillips, whose past experiences include being a victim of stalking, criticized the low volume of SPOs being enforced, calling the numbers “simply not good enough.” Saskia Garner, head of policy and campaigns for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said “stalking protection orders are being far too underused by police” and hopes they’ll be used as the first step to protect victims in the earliest stages of reporting stalking.
The National Police Chiefs Council stated that SPOs are precious tools to enable the police to drive best practices across various forces, ensuring greater consistency in the police response to stalking and delivering improved victim service. Therefore, they are committed to promoting the consistent use of orders to stop the high rate of stalking and domestic abuse in England and Wales
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