FOI 271588
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 271588
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 9th August 2023. Please find below the response to your request:
Over the last 10 years, how many reports of cyberstalking have West Mercia Police received?
How many perpetrators have been charged with offences relating to cyberstalking?
How many cases have involved the use of smart devices to facilitate stalking, primarily Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices?
Please could this information be broken down annually in calendar years in a table format, with a column for each year from 2013 - 2023.
Reply
There is no specific offence of cyberstalking. However, please see below response retrieved form searched carried out on all Stalking & Harassment offences with a keyword tag of ‘cyber-enabled’ or ‘online crime’. No data is available prior to 2018.
- Over the last 10 years, how many reports of cyberstalking have West Mercia Police received?
|
Home Office offence classification |
Calendar Year |
Grand Total |
|||||
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 (Jan-Jul) |
||
|
Attempted - Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress. |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Attempted - Harassment |
|
3 |
2 |
|
1 |
|
6 |
|
Attempted - Sending letters etc with intent to cause distress or anxiety |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
Breach of a stalking order or interim stalking order |
|
|
|
|
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress. |
24 |
55 |
70 |
114 |
100 |
70 |
433 |
|
Engage in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate / family relationship. |
|
4 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
22 |
|
Harassment |
145 |
497 |
593 |
808 |
975 |
526 |
3,544 |
|
Harassment - Breach of a restraining order |
15 |
31 |
42 |
30 |
35 |
16 |
169 |
|
Harassment - Breach of conditions of injunction against harassment |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
Harassment - Putting people in fear of violence |
2 |
8 |
24 |
28 |
46 |
32 |
140 |
|
Harassment - Stalking involving fear of violence |
3 |
4 |
20 |
15 |
13 |
7 |
62 |
|
Harassment - Stalking involving serious alarm/distress |
11 |
18 |
63 |
45 |
21 |
15 |
173 |
|
Harassment etc. of a person in his home |
1 |
|
1 |
2 |
7 |
|
11 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated Harassment or stalking with fear of violence |
|
|
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
|
Racially or religiously aggravated Harassment or stalking without violence |
|
3 |
3 |
12 |
11 |
2 |
31 |
|
Sending letters etc with intent to cause distress or anxiety |
642 |
1,556 |
2,168 |
2,245 |
2,215 |
896 |
9,722 |
|
Stalking - Pursue course of conduct in breach of Sec 1 (1) which amounts to stalking |
8 |
34 |
312 |
425 |
410 |
241 |
1,430 |
|
Grand Total |
852 |
2,214 |
3,308 |
3,731 |
3,840 |
1,815 |
15,760 |
- How many perpetrators have been charged with offences relating to cyberstalking?
|
Police Outcomes |
Calendar Year |
Grand Total |
|||||
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 (Jan-Jul) |
||
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
16 |
42 |
62 |
62 |
60 |
24 |
266 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. Offender has been charged under the alternate offence rule. |
2 |
13 |
41 |
20 |
22 |
8 |
106 |
|
Grand Total |
18 |
55 |
3,308 |
82 |
82 |
32 |
372 |
- How many cases have involved the use of smart devices to facilitate stalking, primarily Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices?
Q3 results are where Incident Summary (matches pattern): %Alexa %; Google Home; %Smart %.
|
Cyberstalking offences involving the use of smart devices |
2021 |
Grand Total |
|
Stalking - Pursue course of conduct in breach of Sec 1 (1) which amounts to stalking |
3 |
3 |