Protection from Harassment Act

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/24/6813

Version Date: 15/08/2024

Between April 2014 and April 2024, how many offences were recorded under section 2a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997?

Between April 2014 and April 2024, How many offences were recorded under section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997?

Between April 2014 and April 2024, how many offences were recorded under section 2a and later revised to section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997?

The Performance & Analysis Department have provided the following information.

Data source:  

Force crime recording system - Niche         

Data Processing:                                                                          

Qliksense Occurrence - People Links (all) app              

Crimed date between 1st April 2014 and 30th April 2024       

Offence Group - Stalking and harassment      

Data downloaded and offences selected -    

• Stalking involving fear of violence  
• Stalking involving serious alarm / distress    
• Stalking without fear / alarm / distress   

Note: 

In April 2018 and again in April 2020 new crime recording rules for stalking and harassment offences were introduced.    

This led to an increase in the recording of these crime types. 

The table below shows selected stalking offences recorded in the Force area between 1st April 2014 and 30th April 2024

Principal Crime Rule as it applies to stalking, controlling coercive behaviour and harassment -    

Where there is a course of conduct amounting to either stalking or harassment or controlling and coercive behaviour the relevant course of conduct crime (stalking or harassment or controlling and coercive behaviour) should be recorded in addition to the most serious additional notifiable crime reported at the same time (per victim-offender relationship).

Where there is a course of conduct that involves a combination of stalking or harassment controlling and coercive behaviour offences between the same victim and offender then only the most serious offence needs to be recorded.    

This means e.g. a harassment offence will often be recorded with a malicious communication offence for the same incident.