Stalking Charges in England and Wales Reach Record High, CPS Figures Show

The number of stalking offences charged in England and Wales has reached its highest level on record, according to figures published by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Prosecutors charged 8,561 stalking offences between April 2025 and March 2026, up from 7,168 the year before. The figures were released on 10 September as police, prosecutors and government officials met in Sheffield for the first national multi-agency conference on stalking.

A steady climb

The data show a sustained rise in charges over recent years:

• 2021-22: 3,350
• 2022-23: 4,489
• 2023-24: 5,859
• 2024-25: 7,168
• 2025-26: 8,561

On those figures, the number of offences charged last year was more than two and a half times the total recorded four years earlier, and the annual count has risen every year in the series.

Olivia Rose, the CPS national lead for stalking, described it as "a terrifying and deeply intrusive crime", whether it happens in person or online.

What is being done

The CPS launched a Stalking Action Plan in March 2026, which includes additional training for prosecutors and closer tracking of how stalking cases move through the system. Alongside it:

• £13m of government funding is being spent on specialist teams to handle Violence Against Women and Girls Protection Orders in up to ten police forces;
• every police force in England and Wales now has an action plan to improve its response to stalking and the protection it offers victims; and
• the Home Office is considering recommendations from an independent review of stalking legislation.

The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC, said justice for victims depended on more than prosecution alone. Deputy Chief Constable Sarah Poolman, the national policing lead on stalking and harassment, said such offences could have a devastating impact on victims' safety, wellbeing and daily lives, and the minister Satvir Kaur said nobody should have to live in fear because of stalking.

The law on stalking

Stalking became a specific criminal offence in England and Wales in 2012, when two offences were added to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The first covers a course of conduct amounting to stalking. The second, more serious offence applies where the behaviour causes the victim to fear violence, or causes serious alarm or distress that has a substantial effect on their day-to-day life, and carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.

Behaviour associated with stalking can include following a person, repeatedly contacting them, monitoring their use of the internet or email, loitering near their home or workplace, and interfering with their property.

Since 2020, police have also been able to apply to the courts for Stalking Protection Orders, which can place restrictions on a suspect and require them to take part in interventions, even before any criminal conviction.

What happens next

The Sheffield conference was intended to bring together the organisations that deal with stalking at different stages, from the first report to the police through to prosecution and victim support. Its recommendations are expected to feed into the work of forces as they carry out their action plans.

The Home Office has not yet said when it will respond to the independent review of stalking legislation, which could lead to changes in how the offences are defined and prosecuted. Meanwhile, the new Protection Order teams are due to be established in the forces selected for funding.

Image: Tim Green via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0