Stalking

The following questions may help you identify if it is stalking you are experiencing.

• Are you experiencing behaviours such as watching, phone calls, emails, gifts, spying, following, threats, hacking
• Have you experienced at least two incidents of any of the unwanted behaviour?
• Do you feel that the behaviours are being carried out because of an obsession towards you?
• Is the behaviour impacting your daily activities?
• Is the behaviour having a negative impact on your wellbeing?
• Think FOUR- Are the behaviours Fixated, Obsessive, Unwanted and Repeated?

If you answered yes to the above, you may be experiencing stalking. Reach out to the services on this site, and report the incidents to the Police. 

What is the difference between stalking and harassment?

Harassment

Legally, the term harassment is used to cover the 'causing alarm or distress' and 'putting people in fear of violence' offences under a certain law (Protection from Harassment Act 1997).

Harassment can include repeated attempts to carry out unwanted communications and contact on someone in a manner that could be expected to cause distress or fear.

You can find more information about harassment on the harassment page.

Stalking

Stalking has no strict legal definition. However, changes to law in 2012 set out a number of behaviours associated with stalking which gives an indication of the types of behaviour that may be displayed in a stalking offence. For something to be considered stalking it must include the act of harassment.

The behaviour carried out is to limit a persons feeling of freedom and safety. In many cases, the acts on their own may appear innocent, but when carried out repeatedly it causes significant alarm or distress.

In other terms, stalking is behaviour that is fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated and causes you fear.

Think FOUR

Fixated

Obsessive

Unwanted

Repeated

If you believe you are experiencing stalking, report it to Sussex Police either online or by calling 101.

If someone is in immediate danger, or it is an emergency please call 999 and ask for the Police. 

If you're in danger but can't talk on the phone, still call 999 and follow the below:

-From a mobile- 

If you don't speak or answer questions, press 55 when prompted and your call will be transferred to the police. 

Pressing 55 only works on mobiles and doesn't allow the police to track your location.

If you don't press 55 your call will be ended.

-From a landline

If you don't speak or answer questions and the operator can only hear background noise, they'll transfer your call to the police. 

If you replace the handset, the landline may remain connected for 45 seconds in case you pick it up again.

Calling 999 from a landline automatically gives the police information about your location.

If you believe you are being stalked, reach out to a Support Service and report the incidents to the Police.

Below is some practical advice you can also do to help keep yourself safe

• Keep a diary of all incidents and their impact on your daily life
• Preserve all communications and gifts
• Don't mediate or engage with the stalker unless unavoidable

Cyber stalking

It is not advisable to block any online communication, instead you are advised to mute it. This is because:

• This communication can be used as evidence in a police investigation and subsequent charge
• Blocking a perpetrator may increase the risk of them trying to seek the victim out in person
• Blocking may also elevate the perpetrators level of anger
• Victims often feel better prepared knowing what their perpetrator is doing and where they are

To help you keep safe online:

• Passwords- Make sure you use a strong password of 8 or more characters, with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Use different passwords for different accounts.
• Anti-malware applications- Use antivirus software on computers and devices
• Be aware of types of scams- You can read more about types of scams on the Fraud page.
• Software updates- Keep on top of software updates on any computers and mobile devices. 
• Log out- Always log out or lock your computer or mobile device when you are not using it
• Secure your apps- Veritas Justice have produced information on how to 'Secure your Apps'

Support

You can reach out to the support services to the right of this page.

Support and advice is available to you whether you report to the Police or not. There are specialist stalking and cyberstalking services that you can contact and get advice, information and support from. You may also be able to get your mobile devices checked by a qualified expert at an ethical IT intervention, where you can receive information and guidance on how to best secure yourself online.

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit also has some additional advice and information which you may find helpful. 

You can take forward action through civil law courts by applying for an injunction. This is an order from a court that the person stops doing the acts that amount to stalking or harassment.

You do have to pay for civil proceedings, including court costs and the cost of any lawyer you instruct.

The Police also now have the power to apply for Stalking Protection Orders. These are civil orders that when broken are a criminal offence. Within the Order, the Police can attach terms such as prohibitions (an activity that cannot be done) and positive requirements (activities that should be done).