Moved by
Lord Russell of Liverpool
292N: After Clause 170, insert the following new Clause—
“Strategy on stalking
(1) The Secretary of State must, before the end of the period of 12 months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed, prepare and publish a document setting out a strategy for—
(a) detecting, investigating and prosecuting offences involving stalking,
(b) assessing and managing the risks posed by individuals who commit offences involving risks associated with stalking, and
(c) reducing the risk that such individuals commit further offences.
(2) In preparing the strategy, the Secretary of State must—
(a) seek to adopt a multi-agency stalking intervention programme;
(b) seek to ensure that risk assessments for stalking victims are carried out by trained specialist stalking professionals;
(c) seek to ensure that any judge, police officer or other relevant public official involved in an investigation or legal proceedings involving stalking has attended and completed relevant training.
(3) The Secretary of State—
(a) must keep the strategy under review;
(b) may revise it.
(4) If the Secretary of State revises the strategy, the Secretary of State must publish a document setting out the revised strategy.
(5) In preparing or revising a strategy under this section, the Secretary of State must consult such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.
(6) Subsection (5) does not apply in relation to any revisions of the strategy if the Secretary of State considers the proposed revisions of the strategy are insubstantial.
(7) In this section—
the references to “acts associated with stalking” and “risks associated with stalking” are to be read in accordance with section 1 of the Stalking Protection Act 2019;
“multi-agency stalking intervention programme” means a programme through which public authorities, including police forces, probation services and the National Health Service, collaborate with each other and stalking advocacy support services to intervene on those carrying out acts associated with stalking, whether or not convicted of an offence, depending on the level of risk they pose to the victim and the public.”
Member’s explanatory statement
This amendment aims to promote the early identification of and intervention on stalking, and better investigation and prosecution of the crime, by requiring the Government to develop a strategy that includes: the adoption of a multi-agency intervention programme, risk assessments for victims to be carried out by trained professionals, and training for relevant public officials.