 What is stalking and why do public service leaders need to know about it? Stalking is unwanted repeated behavior that causes the person who experiences it fear alarm or distress Victims might not label what's happening to them as stalking especially early on they might describe it as something else like being hassled pestered or harassed Stalking takes many forms including sending texts emails gifts or letters making malicious or repeated phone calls Following and even impersonating someone It can involve other crimes too like burglary criminal damage and threats to kill In some cases stalking escalates to assault rape and murder Stalking commonly occurs after relationships have ended especially those in which there has been domestic abuse Stalking indicates a high risk of serious harm By identifying stalking as soon as possible you stand the best chance of protecting all those involved We sometimes wrongly associate the term stalking with celebrities, but anyone can be stalked and anyone can be a stalker There are many reasons why someone might become obsessed or fixated by another person consider the following stalking scenarios an ex-partner who can't accept a relationship is over an Individual who persists in wanting a relationship with someone who isn't interested an Aggrieved employee client or patient who is resentful or angry about a genuine or perceived injustice Some but not all stalkers suffer from mental illness Some are highly dangerous not only to their victims, but to friends and family colleagues of the victim and the wider general public The experience of stalking is not rare. It's estimated five million people in Britain experience stalking each year One in five women and one in ten men will experience stalking in their adult life So why do you need to know about stalking? Because this issue affects the staff you have responsibility for and the clients your organization works with Let's think first about your staff From an HR perspective Stalking is harmful. It has a detrimental effect on the victim's day-to-day life health Relationships emotional well-being and their ability to do their job Certain public sector workers face a higher risk of being stalked including health care professionals or high-profile individuals such as counselors or other public figures The workplace provides key opportunities for stalkers to target their victims Organization technology phone lines and computers can be used for this purpose Whilst they are the exception there have been a number of high-profile Homicides where victims have been stalked and killed at work In relation to your client group where a client is being stalked either by a partner Ex-partner or acquaintance or stranger. This must be taken very seriously It is a very risky behavior a significant number of homicides have featured stalking prior to the killing Stalking may indicate that others close to the victim are potentially at risk So as leaders, what can you do? Publicize this issue many people don't know what constitutes stalking and that something can be done about it Ensure any complaints of harassment or stalking behavior i.e. pestering hassling bothering a recorded recognized named and taken seriously Signpost those affected by stalking to specialist services and the police Raise awareness of how your service will respond to stalking keep statistics on stalking Monitor its incidents and outcomes within your service Make sure your violence against women domestic abuse and sexual violence workplace policies address stalking As commissioners ensure that specialist violence against women domestic abuse and sexual violence Services keep stats on the incidents of stalking presented to them and are equipped to provide a service to victims Who are stalked by their ex-partners including completion of a stalking risk assessment