The announcement coincides with the launch of a guide to help police investigate stalkers. The Home Office evaluation has shown that more work needs to be done to train officers dealing with such cases. The Stalking Investigation Guide has been written by Detective Inspector Hamish Brown. It gives officers guidance on how to deal with harassment offences and give advice to victims. He visited police in the US to see how they deal with the problem.
People feel that it is only celebrities affected.
But the overwhelming majority of victims are the ordinary people in the street. Women's support groups have welcomed the release of the guide. The victims will come forward much quicker. At the moment they are made to feel stupid and they wonder if it's their fault. If the police take it very seriously early on there can be an early intervention and sometimes the stalker can be made to stop.