Young people may not recognise they have been victims of stalking, says CPS

Young people online have more access to friends and strangers than any generation has had before, says the CPS’s national lead on stalking. Photograph: redsnapper/Alamy

Young people may not even realise they have been victims of stalking, the Crown Prosecution Service has said as it launched a scheme to tackle a rise in offending.

The number of stalking offences charged by the CPS in England and Wales reached a record high last year of 7,168. More than 80% of these were flagged as relating to domestic abuse, meaning most victims were stalked or harassed by someone they knew.