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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Alexandra Topping

Stalking victims left at ‘serious risk’ by police failures, report finds

Woman walking up stairs in shadows
ONS figures reveal one in seven people aged 16 and over in England and Wales have been a victim of stalking at least once. Photograph: Chris Hellier/Alamy

Systemic failures in the way police deal with stalkers are leaving victims at “serious risk” with some given wrong and “potentially dangerous” advice, a damning report by police chiefs in England and Wales has found.

Ten months after a coroner warned that stalking victims were facing a “postcode lottery” of support following the death of Gracie Spinks at the hands of her stalker, an internal examination has found evidence of the risks of stalking being downplayed, officers failing to join the dots between stalking incidents and a lack of training and confusion over what constitutes stalking.

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