Stalking: South Wales Police response to Suzy Lamplugh Trust super-complaint
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The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium, raised serious concerns about the police response to stalking in its super-complaint.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and the College of Policing jointly undertook a comprehensive investigation into the issues raised and found clear evidence supporting some of the concerns.
The investigation did find examples of police taking stalking seriously, safeguarding victims well and carrying out good investigations, but in too many cases the police response was not good enough and victims were being let down.
As a result, all UK police forces were tasked with publishing their action plans to demonstrate how they are meeting the expected standards and are continuously working to improve the way they respond to stalking.
Our action plan can be read in full here.
Assistant Chief Constable Jason Davies said:
"We are committed to protecting our communities. We welcome the findings and recommendations set out in the Stalking Super-complaint report. Stalking is an insidious crime which can have a devastating impact on victims, and it is our duty to ensure every case is handled with the utmost care, compassion, and professionalism.
"The report highlights important lessons for all forces, and we are determined to act on these to improve our response. In South Wales, we are already enhancing training, strengthening partnerships, and refining processes to ensure victims feel safe, supported, and listened to.
"Our officers and staff will continue to work hard to deliver a victim-centred approach that holds offenders accountable while ensuring that no victim of stalking ever feels let down by the police.
"I would ask anyone that needs to report incidents of stalking to get in touch with us so we can investigate and deal with this awful crime and help keep our communities safe."