Today has seen the release of the long-awaited report on the investigation into the National Stalking Consortium’s Super Complaint regarding the police response to stalking.
The purpose of a Super Complaint is to raise concerns that will be considered and investigated by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the College of Policing, and the IOPC. Led by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on behalf of the Consortium, the Super Complaint, originally submitted in November 2022, detailed long-term concerns about the handling of stalking and stalking victims by police forces.
The Alice Ruggles Trust welcomes the publication of this comprehensive report that both sets out the problems and presents a series of 29 recommendations to Chief Constables, the IOPC, PCCs, the CPS, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to ensure victims are best supported to deal with this horrific, psychologically damaging, and physically dangerous crime.
We are pleased to see the urgency of this report reflected in the timeline given for recommendations, all of which should have been actioned by 27 March 2025. Chief Constables are asked to publish action plans within 56 days.
We are delighted with the focus on the value of Independent Stalking Advocate Caseworkers (ISACs) and multi-agency working and the call for this to be business-as-usual in all police forces.
The Alice Ruggles Trust has long called for universal training on stalking for criminal justice professionals and welcomes this call being echoed in the report. It is vital that those who specialise in stalking are fully trained to understand the crime and equally important that call-handlers and first responders are well enough aware of the signs and risks of stalking. We look forward to working with any force that values the victim’s voice in their training.
Although the report doesn’t cover this, there is also a need to focus on prevention as well as reaction. The Alice Ruggles Trust is committed to putting an end to stalking through education and awareness. This is a vital tool in the societal shift needed to end stalking. We are working with a small handful of police forces who recognise this important work and would welcome the engagement of others.
Clive Ruggles, Alice’s father and the Chair of Trustees, said:
“This is a really comprehensive report, which needs to be followed up with urgent action. That means action by the police, the CPS, the MoJ, PCCs, and the Home Office and Government. Action to ensure adequate police training, adequate provision of stalking advocates, and adequate multi-agency working to manage the risk in stalking cases. Stalking is a huge problem, and this report contains detailed recommendations we need to make things far, far better.
“What we need now is for these recommendations to be implemented in full and promptly. This is not about the few stalking cases that get into the headlines, but about the hundred of thousands of stalking victims who suffer — who live in fear — every day. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only to relieve their suffering but also, in the most serious cases, to help prevent what happened to Alice happening to others.
“And we must not forget the need to think about the long term—about prevention as well as protection. We must raise public awareness, educate young people, and tackle early perpetrator behaviours. The very work that our own Trust focuses on, in Alice’s name.”
