Transparency data

APCC summary response super-complaint stalking

Published 8 January 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Letter information

From: Emily Spurrell APCC Chair PCC for Merseyside

To: Rachel Watson Director General Independent Office for Police Conduct

To: Andy Cooke QPM DL His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services

To: Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh QPM Chief Executive Officer College of Policing

APCC Response to the Super-Complaint on Stalking

In November 2022, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust submitted a super-complaint on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium raising concerns about inadequate police responses to stalking cases. On 24 September, you wrote to us from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the College of Policing with your findings.

Your report contains recommendations for policing, including recommendations for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and their equivalents. Recommendation 16 and 25 are also directed to Chief Constables. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) agreed to respond on behalf of all Police and Crime Commissioners, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners, and their Mayoral equivalents (PCCs), as per recommendation 27. A summary is set out below. The APCC received responses from all 43 PCCs.

Recommendation 15:

By 27 March 2025, review whether the right specialist services have been commissioned to support stalking victims in their area, including provision of trained independent stalking advocate caseworkers (ISACs).

PCCs and their mayor equivalents should provide the necessary services where they do not exist and should consider collaborating across force boundaries to provide services if it would be efficient and effective to do so.

All 43 PCCs in England and Wales accepted the recommendation.

Recommendation 16:

By 27 March 2025, work together to review commissioning arrangements and make changes as soon as possible to ensure they embed collaborative working and information sharing between policing and services providing victim support to stalking victims.

All 43 PCCs in England and Wales accepted the recommendation.

Recommendation 25:

By 27 March 2025, explore opportunities to improve how their force works with partners to contribute to a multi-agency response to stalking. This should include considering:

• how the force works in partnership with healthcare, the CPS, probation services and other criminal justice partners to manage stalking perpetrators and address their behaviour

• whether and how they should collaborate with other forces to effectively and efficiently contribute to multi-agency partnerships on stalking

• how multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) are being used to effectively manage stalking offenders

All 43 PCCs in England and Wales accepted the recommendation.

The APCC will be providing a comprehensive account of PCC responses against the recommendations in due course as agreed between officials. I welcome the recommendations in the report, and the importance of the super-complaint process in general. As our full report will set out, while PCCs are broadly supportive of the recommendations, we are clear that the responsibility for response lies not just with PCCs but with Forces and our wider partners; we must take a whole systems approach to tackling stalking. Practically, while PCCs do commission victims support services and seek to provide specialist support, we are at a very uncertain period for victims funding, and due to reporting timelines PCCs have provided a response before we have any information on availability of future funding for victims’ services. I look forward to providing the full report from the APCC which will set out the details behind how PCCs are meeting or plan to engage with the recommendations.

Stalking is a critical issue and requires a system wide focus and I am grateful to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and the National Stalking Consortium for their energy in raising the complaint and their on-going work. I am grateful to the IOPC, HMICFRS and the College of Policing for your detailed and thoughtful report, and your engagement with the APCC through its development.