Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of one-to-one programmes for serial stalkers.

Stalking is an horrific crime which can have a devastating impact on victims and this Government is determined to tackle it. The monitoring and assessment of individuals convicted of stalking is an operational matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners. Data is not held centrally. To support effective assessment and monitoring by the police, details of those convicted of stalking is held on the Police National Computer and, where appropriate, on the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register.

The Government’s Violence against Women and Girls Strategy published in March 2016 makes clear that a sustainable approach to preventing abuse is dependent on changing the attitude and behaviour of perpetrators. Through the Police Innovation Fund the Government is supporting, promoting and evaluating innovative models to tackle perpetrators’ behaviour and will continue to do so.

On 7 December the Government announced that it will introduce a Stalking Protection Order to help protect victims at the earliest possible opportunity and deter perpetrators. The new order will be available to the police on application to the courts and will allow the imposition of both restrictions and other measures such as a requirement to attend a treatment programme.

The College of Policing’s What Works Centre for Crime Reduction is working to build the evidence base for effective intervention with perpetrators.