ALL stalking cases should be reviewed by a specialist officer before they are closed in the wake of Shana Grice’s murder, Sussex Police have been told.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) made this one of six recommendations as part of its ongoing investigation into the force’s handling of complaints the 19-year-old made about Michael Lane before he killed her in August last year.

Lane, 27, of Thornhill Rise, Portslade, was handed a life sentence last month. Miss Grice reported him for stalking on numerous occasions and at one point was issued with the fine for wasting police time. After Lane was charged, 13 other women reported him to police for stalking, The Argus exclusively revealed yesterday. Some 12 officers and staff are being questioned as part of the inquiry.

The news comes at the culmination of national stalking awareness week which has seen the force take part in training by Brighton-based stalking charity Veritas Justice and national organisation the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. This discussed investigation tactics and legislation and encouraged officers to look for a wider pattern of offending as breaking and entering or criminal damage generally manifest themselves in stalking cases.

The training took place as the IPCC said all police officers should have mandatory training which is regularly updated. The way officers update information on computer databases needed to be “tightened up” and they needed to learn better search techniques. It asked the force to consider classing every new call as a fresh crime to ensure action is taken.

Detective Superintendent Jason Tingley, the force’s head of public protection, said there had been a “cultural change” in the force and measures were already in place to improve its response to stalking. He said officers will intervene earlier to prevent stalking escalating and the force has scrapped issuing cautions and warning notices. Instead it will seek more substantial measures like arrest.

There will be 25 officers specially trained on stalking posted in the Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton, Crawley and Littlehampton safeguarding units with a view to introducing more soon. The previously optional nationwide stalking training will now be mandatory with a 90 per cent pass rate expected.

Mr Tingley said the changes were in the pipeline before Miss Grice died but are now being introduced at a faster pace. He said the force was trying to improve as quickly and effectively as possible.

Now all domestic abuse victims will be visited by an officer. Previously 15 per cent of up to 22,000 domestic incidents a year, which were classed as low risk and could include stalking, were dealt with over the phone. This is the best method and can lead to disclosure of more serious crimes than those originally reported, Mr Tingley said.

Police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said the force had made “pretty significant” and positive steps in how officers tackled stalking but completely restoring public confidence was a “work in progress”. She said: “It takes a while for a plan to get embedded in. I want to keep them focused and see improvements.”

Figures also show a rise in reports of stalking – one of the most frequently experienced forms of abuse – in the last year in Sussex. Police put this down to better awareness and more accurate reporting but Ms Bourne said it could not be known if it signified a rise in offending until the evidence is analysed.Veritas Justice co-founder Claudia Miles branded this the “tip of the iceberg”, as victims generally experience 100 incidents before reporting to police.

She said there was “certainly more work” that needed to be done, adding: “Restoring public confidence is a process that may take some time. Victims should always be believed and every line of enquiry be pursued.”

‘IT HAD SUCH AN IMPACT ON MY LIFE I MADE IT MY JOB’

LIVING in constant fear of what could happen next with an ever present feeling of being watched or followed.

This is everyday reality for a stalking victim while their perpetrators are not brought to justice. Often their stalker will go on to target other women too in a worrying and ever-growing pattern of obsession and possessiveness.

It is something that Sam Taylor, co-founder of Brighton-based stalking charity Veritas Justice, has experienced first hand.

She said she was pursued for four years by her ex-partner when she ended their relationship. She asked him to leave the home they shared with two children.

“I was never afraid of him during the relationship until he attacked me and then I was absolutely petrified,” she said.

“It affected me, my friends, my family, my work colleagues, my neighbours.

“It had an impact on my life to such an extent that I made it my job – I use my experience to help others. I was very lucky to have a support network.”

Described as an insidious crime which ruins lives, this pattern of behaviour can escalate. Sometimes this can occur at a petrifying pace and culminate in physical violence, sometimes rape and even murder. Unfortunately this is a danger that is ever prevalent.

There are around 1.1 million victims of stalking every year. In Sussex in the last few months there have been a rise in reports of stalking with a 45 per cent increase in the last six months of last year.

Sussex Police said this was a result of raised awareness of the crime and victims feeling more confident in coming forward.

But police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said officers will simply not know if this is behind the spike or if it is a rise in the number of incidents until the reports are made and the evidence analysed.

Nevertheless each report is a sign that somewhere in our county there are stalking victims who feel threatened. And whatever the explanation, any victim is one too many and work must continue to be done to stop stalkers in their tracks.

This week’s national stalking awareness campaign is all the more poignant as it follows the murders of two young women at the hands of their stalkers.

Michael Lane, 27, is serving a life sentence after he stalked and murdered 19-year-old Shana Grice in Portslade in August.

In October, in similar circumstances, Lance Corporal Trimaan “Harry” Dhillon, 26, slit the throat of Alice Ruggles, 24, and left her to bleed to death on her bathroom floor in Gateshead. He was found guilty of her murder, described as an act of “utter barbarism”, and he was sentenced to life in prison this week.

Both cases prompted calls for more to be done to understand and prevent stalking.

Ms Taylor said as a victim it was extremely frustrating when your voice is not being heard. Many victims lose confidence but she persisted.

“I wrote to my MP 11 times. It’s not just the police that need training, it’s the judiciary, the Crown Prosecution Service and lawyers.

“I contributed to the reform on stalking law and I was the only one to provide evidence who was a survivor, the rest were family members of friends of daughters who had been killed. And those daughters are still being killed. It’s frustrating the signs are still being missed all these years later.

“A murder by a stalking is meticulously planned, it is not done in anger. It needs to be considered as high risk behaviour straight away.”

She said one of the main dangers is that you never know what form stalking is going to take or how quickly it will escalate.

Veritas Justice has produced a recovery guide for survivors with the University of Brighton which it dedicated to all those who have lost their lives at the hands of their stalkers and to those who have overcome their ordeal.

Their research showed 80 per cent of cases include cyber stalking so Ms Bourne has awarded them £5,000 to host online safety workshops.

Sussex Police believes it has already come a long way in making improvements since Miss Grice’s death but Ms Bourne said while the steps taken are “pretty significant” and positive, there is still a way to go to completely regain public confidence.

She said the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary inquiry taking place later this year will make sure the improvements have taken place.

It is the first time in her five-year tenure she has commissioned an HMIC report which shows how seriously she has taken it.

She added: “My message to all victims is do not suffer in silence.”

Detective Superintendent Jason Tingley, Sussex Police’s head of public protection, said the force was undergoing a “cultural change” ensuring staff were better at understanding and recognising stalking and vulnerability.

He also agreed the decision to see all reports of domestic abuse were handled in person rather than over the phone was the best course of action, adding: “Can you really assess risk over the phone?

“There’s nothing like going to visit someone face to face, looking them in the eyes and understanding what’s going on. Sometimes victims will downplay the crimes.”

RISE IN REPORTS OF CASES IN LAST YEAR

SUSSEX Police have seen a rise in reports of stalking in the last year.

The force said this was a “welcome increase” which it claimed was down to growing confidence from victims to come forward, “more accurate” police reporting and more awareness around the dangers of stalking after the murder of Shana Grice.

Between January last year and February this year there were 138 reports in West Sussex, 75 in East Sussex and 59 in Brighton and Hove.

This has resulted in 44 charges and 47 cases still under investigation.

There have been ten resulting in a formal police caution and two dealt with by community resolution. Police said the victims consented to this level of action in each of these 12 cases.

A police spokesman said: “The other 169 have not resulted in enforcement action after investigation, for reasons principally including insufficient evidence, and the victim being unwilling to support prosecution.

“However even in those cases the reports have still enabled us to consider arranging appropriate safeguarding action, advice and ongoing support.”

2016

January – 13
February – 12
March – 22
April – 15
May – 13
June - 13
July - 11
August - 16
September - 25
October - 31
November - 22
December – 23

2017
January – 27
February – 29