Focus on... awareness of stalking - digital and cyber stalking

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer 

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

I'm going to use this last blog to talk about digital stalking and cyber stalking, explaining the differences and highlighting the things you can do to help protect yourself online. Even if you haven't experienced it please keep reading as the information is useful for everyone.

Once again, I would like to thank Laura Richards for allowing me to reproduce her material. 

Digitally assisted stalking relates to stalkers who use a range of methods to stalk, such as social networking sites and email. Cyberstalking relates to a stalker who only uses technology.

Stalking rarely takes place at a distance - some approach their victims regularly. Research shows that those who visit their victim’s home, workplace, or places frequented by the victim more than 3 times in a week, are those who are most likely to turn violent. 

Because of this we must all remain mindful that most stalking now includes a ‘cyber’ or technology aspect and you should safeguard yourself against.

Some of the methods below are extremely rare but I want you to feel safer by knowing all the information.

The risks of technology - it is important that police, victims and the public understand how technology works, why it puts them at risk and what they can do to reduce those risks - something I train officers on regularly.

DO

• Google yourself to see what you can find e.g. your digital footprint.

• Change your passwords from a ‘safe’ computer e.g. a friend’s or trusted third party.

• Set up a new e-mail account and review privacy settings particularly on networking sites.

• Be careful about what you put online – always ‘err on the side of caution’.

• Tell friends, family and colleagues about what's happening, not to give anyone your e-mail, number, home address and to take care what they say on online about you.

• Keep a diary and take screen shots by pressing ‘Print Screen and ALT’.

DO NOT

• Assume social networking sites will ever be completely safe.

• Open e-mails/attachments from the perpetrator.

• Use easy to guess passwords like your name, pets, family, your school, favourite colours, or the same one for every account. Don't just change letters or numbers either.

Anti-spyware software - spyware software can be easily put on to a computer by the perpetrator sending an email, attachment or PDF. However, you can buy anti-spyware software or download it for free. Be careful not to use a fake product, always use a well-known and recommended brand. 

Mobile phones - if you are leaving an already abusive partner, assume that they may track you using your phone.

DO 

• Clean your old phone as it may have software or a tracking ‘app’. Save your photos, music and address book and then restore the phone to factory settings.

• Hide your caller ID and set a pass-code so your phone locks immediately after use.

• Keep evidence. Record voicemails and take pictures of texts in case they are erased.

• If you get repeat or silent calls contact your provider, who can send your call log to police.

• Consider installing a ‘whitelist’ app so you only receive calls from your contacts. A ‘blacklist’ feature can bar certain numbers too.

• Turn off your GPS as well as your ‘geotagging’ settings in the camera application.

Social networking sites - one of the most popular sites is Facebook. It is used by many people nowadays and it is a great way of staying in touch with friends. However, it comes with inherent risks, particularly as many people ‘friend’ those who they do not know.

DO

• Check your privacy settings and set them to highest level.

• Limit your friends – it is not a popularity contest and make sure those who are your friends are those you would be happy to tell information to.

• Be careful about what you post – think about what you say (changing relationship status), what you do (photos that give away personal information) or if you ‘check-in’ somewhere.

Account takeovers - this can easily happen, particularly if your stalker is your ex-partner. If they know your password they can log in and change it. It can be easy to guess people’s passwords too as most choose ones that relate to them.

DO

• Be aware of warning signs, for example e-mails people say they have sent, but you haven't received; money unaccounted for; new password confirmations being sent.

• Use multiple e-mail accounts – one for work, one for friends, one for banking etc.

and finally....

GPS devices on vehicles - these can be easily obtained online. They are devices that attach to cars and track movement.

DO

• Check under the car for a small box, attached by a magnet the size of a deck of cards. 

• Park the car in a safe, well-lit place.

Right, that’s all from me folks. If my work here this week means at least one person feels more confident in the process and comes forward, this blog has been worthwhile. I really do hope that you’ve found this useful and would appreciate your feedback on Twitter and Facebook.

Following the successful conviction I mentioned on Tuesday, one of our senior officers, Chief Superintendent Steve Corbishley, has said: ‘Stalking can begin with what – on the face of it – seems like trivial behaviour but it can lead to serious offending. Offenders often downplay behaviour and victims sometimes experience as many as 100 incidents before they report it.

‘One incident in isolation can seem unremarkable or irrelevant so our officers are trained to look at all the acts. The legislation is there to be used.’

Remember, please call us if you believe you are being stalked.

If you feel unsure about contacting the police straightaway but feel the need to speak to someone please call the National Stalking Hotline on 0808 8020 300. It’s there to help you.

I hope you all have wonderful, and safe, weekend and thanks for reading my blogs this week.

Martin

For more information visit www.digital-stalking.com

For further information about Laura Richards and her work on stalking and domestic abuse, visit www.laurarichards.co.uk

Focus on... awareness of stalking - what information to record

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer 

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hope you're all enjoying your evening. 

Before I start I'd like to reference a comment we received earlier today from someone who believes they're being stalked. Unfortunately we don't have any contact details for you but if you're reading this please meet with your local officer as mentioned, raising all that you have to me and ask that it is passed to your area's investigator. If you would like some more support and advice please call the National Stalking Helpline who can help too.

Right, back to the blog. I’d like to use this one to talk about the different types of information that a victim could record, information that could help bring cases to court and ultimately, offenders to justice.

Again, whether you’re a victim or you’ve never had to experience this terrible crime, please stay with me and read on. Whatever the situation, there’s no harm in knowing what can help.

I’ll write this as if I’m talking to a victim.

If you have reported the matter to police you may be given a diary to complete in relation to the case (if you haven’t already). This is a fairly self-explanatory document that asks you to record any incidents.

It is important that you try to record as much detail as possible such as the time, date and location of any harassment/stalking and what exactly happened.

It might be useful to record other information such as anything the ‘stalker’ might have said to you, as well as what they did. If you saw them, can you remember what they were wearing, what methods of transport were they using? What type of car were they driving, what was the number of the bus?

If anyone else witnessed the incident, consider asking for their name and contact details. If necessary, witness reports could help in court.

Also make sure that you sign, date and time your entries whenever you make them.

Please don’t forget, if you feel you are in immediate danger, always dial 999.

Last blog tomorrow,

Martin

Focus on... awareness of stalking - what not to do

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer 

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hello all,

Today is National Stalking Awareness Day, one of the many reasons why I'm writing this blog. Take a look online to see what people are saying. On Twitter? Follow #knowthelaw #usethelaw and #NSAD.

Right then, let’s move onto the dos and don’ts. This is not a definitive list but definitely some things to consider.

• DO - report the matter to police. 

• DO - contact the National Stalking Helpline for advice and support.

• DO - let others know about what’s going on.

• DO - keep records of what has been happening.

• DO - change your passwords regularly. This can be particularly important if the stalker is an ex-partner who may know your commonly used passwords.

• DO NOT - ignore it and hope it will go away. Research has demonstrated the persistence of stalkers.

• DO NOT - meet up with a stalker. This could put you at risk of harm, even if you know them. It may also be possible that other people try to make something of the fact that you have met them, jumping to the wrong conclusion.

• DO NOT - delete messages/voicemails or throw away items you may have been sent – these may be able to be used as evidence. The Criminal Justice System requires evidence and often what you think is irrelevant might be important.
  NOTE: If you are reading this and have already discarded evidence, don’t worry - it is still important to report the matter and there may be other ways to capture evidence.

• DO NOT - isolate yourself by withdrawing from using social networking sites, phones or e-mail.

• DO NOT - engage family, friends or anyone else to ‘have a word’ with the stalker. It is rare that such encounters are productive and they can make matters much worse. It might be possible that an offender can use such incidents to make counter allegations.

• DO NOT - listen to yourself or others when they try to minimise what is happening to you. Stalking is serious and blights people’s lives. 

• DO NOT - immediately change your status on Facebook or other social networking sites if you have just finished a relationship. If the stalker is an ex-partner this can sometimes make things worse.

What not to say

With the best intentions, people can sometimes give advice or make comments to victims that can have an unintended detrimental effect, advice that is also sometimes dangerous. Here are some of the most common that are mentioned to advisors at the National Stalking Helpline:

‘You’re being a bit dramatic aren’t you?’, ‘Are you sure you’re not being a bit paranoid?’, ‘I wish I had a stalker’, ‘If they were going to harm you they would have done it already’, ‘If you didn’t look at the stuff, it wouldn’t upset you’

If someone you know talks to you about a situation that is worrying them, it will probably have taken a lot of courage to do so. Try to support them, remember what you’ve read this week and encourage them to come forward so police can investigate.

Later this evening I’ll be writing about stalking/harassment logs and what information can help police investigations.

Thanks for reading,

Martin 

Focus on... awareness of stalking - REPORT

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hello again,

At a recent conference Laura Richards, a recognised expert on domestic abuse and stalking, discussed guidance for people who believe they may be victims.

Laura spearheaded the successful campaign to add stalking offences to the harassment act, a campaign that will potentially save many lives in the future. I am grateful to Laura for giving me permission to use some of her material for these blogs.

So, would you know what to do if you are suffering at the hands of a stalker? If the honest answer is no, please keep reading. If the answer was yes, humour me and keep reading as well – there may be something you find useful.

Being stalked or harassed can be extremely alarming and frightening. It is the repetition of the behaviour that makes it even more sinister. Recent advice issued for victims is summed up using the mnemonic REPORT – hopefully this makes it a little easier to remember.

• REPORT IT AND TELL OTHERS - contact the police and talk to your family and friends.

• ENSURE YOU GET GOOD ADVICE - talk to people with experience of this issue -  call the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 8020 300 or visit www.stalkinghelpline.org

• Be PROACTIVE – it is advised that you keep all messages, gifts, communications, letters, and preserve them. If you are followed in a car, drive to an area where you know there are CCTV cameras. I must stress however that if you feel in immediate danger you should try to find somewhere safe and call 999 immediately.

• OVERVIEW: KEEP A DIARY - log what is happening including the time, date and details. If you have reported the matter already, we have log books that we can provide. Once again, it must be stressed, if you feel you are in immediate danger, the diary is no substitute for calling the police on 999.

•  RISK CHECKLIST – once reported, the police will usually ask you questions in order to complete a risk screening checklist. If you think you are at risk, and a checklist has not already been completed, you can download and complete your own - see link at the end of this blog. Once completed, pass this to the police for them to consider.

• TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND NEVER MAKE CONTACT WITH YOUR STALKER - if you are frightened or worried, call 999 or go to a safe place (or both). It is advised that victims do not contact or respond to a stalker in any other way. 

    
Next up, the do’s and don’ts, the common misconceptions about stalking and advice on what not to say to someone if they think they’re being stalked.

Back again later this evening.

Martin

http://www.dashriskchecklist.co.uk/index.php?page=vs-dash-for-use-in-stalking-cases-by-victims

Focus on... awareness of stalking - the law

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hi again, hope you’re all having a good day.

I thought it appropriate to start with the specific law that covers stalking offences.

Before 1997 no specific laws existed to protect someone if they were harassed or stalked. Both police and prosecutors had to rely on a few existing laws to try and bring offenders to justice. That meant some offenders were charged with ‘psychological’ assault. When in court, prosecutors had to prove that the assault caused some appreciable psychological harm, which wasn’t always easy.

Many felt that the existing laws did not protect people enough, and as a result the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 was passed.

This Act was later criticised because of its tendency to deal with more minor incidents so on 25 November 2012, specific stalking offences were added.

If you want to read more about the legislation itself, there is a link to the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of this blog.

Harassment covers two separate offences:

•    'causing alarm or distress'
•    'putting people in fear of violence'.

These offences are subject to a course of conduct, which simply means there must have been at least two incidents. If there haven’t been two or more incidents already, police can consider using, where appropriate, existing offences and/or a warning to the offender. 

Harassment can mean an unwelcome verbal or written communication, sexual harassment, racially/religiously aggravated harassment, psychological harassment, threats and damage to property.

The new stalking offences sit on top of the two harassment offences I’ve just mentioned. The Act now lists the following, although not exhaustive, as a number of behaviours associated with stalking:

•    following a person
•    contacting or attempting to contact by any means
•    publishing material relating to the victim or seemingly by the victim
•    loitering in any place
•    interfering with any property in possession of someone
•    watching or spying on a person
•    monitoring that person using electronic communication

Importantly, the new section creates TWO offences relating to stalking. Where stalking which by its nature causes the victim to fear violence and; when stalking causes someone serious alarm or distress that has a substantial effect on their day-to-day lives, for example changing jobs, changing routines, moving house and so on. 

Last month Kent Police saw its first successful conviction under the new laws. A 28-year-old man from Dymchurch was jailed for 51 weeks and given a five year restraining order. The investigating officer said after the trial: ‘This man’s victim had reached the stage where she was terrified at what he would do next.’

Thankfully the new legislation helped end the ordeal for his victim.

Tomorrow I’ll be providing some advice if you think you may be the victim of a stalker.

Goodbye for now.
Martin

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/stalking_and_harassment/

Focus on... awareness of stalking

DC Martin O'Neill
Investigator trainer

Based in Maidstone, West Division  |  Joined Kent Police in 1984

Hello there,

I’m Detective Constable Martin O’Neill, one of Kent Police's trainers. I regularly work with officers to make sure they are up to speed on the latest legislation so they can better support victims of crime.

In November 2012, when amendments were made to the Protection from Harassment Act, it became part of my role to make sure officers fully understood the updated stalking and harassment laws.

As it’s National Stalking Awareness Day this Thursday, I’ve decided to publish a short blog every day this week to help you understand the issues involved. So if you feel that you may be a victim, or know a victim, I hope this will help.

Here’s an idea of what I’ll be covering this week.

Later today I’ll let you know about the current stalking and harassment laws, explaining them as straightforwardly as I can so you know how we can help and understand the support that is available for victims.

Over the course of the week I’ll also post about what to do if you think you may be suffering at the hands of a stalker, things you shouldn’t do and why, information about diary logs as well as look at the different types of stalking, such as digital and cyber stalking. 

Whether you think you may be a victim of stalking or have never experienced it, please keep reading.  It might be that a family member, friend or even a colleague experiences it in the future. Hopefully you’ll feel better placed to help someone find the courage they need to come forward to the police and get the help they need.

Any victim of stalking will tell you how distressing this type of offending is - and no one should have to deal with it on their own.

If my work this week gives at least one victim the confidence to come forward then this blog will have been worthwhile.

Thanks for reading… stay tuned.