NEW support for victims of stalking has gone live across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has announced the start of a new contract that is providing independent and specialist support to stalking victims.

The Stalking Advocacy and Support Service, run by Stop Domestic Abuse, began on Saturday, July and will run until March 31, 2026.

The PCC commissioned the service, with funding of £130K per year, as part of her commitment to overhaul the stalking and harassment services across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

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The majority of stalking offences are committed by a former partner, perpetrators are predominantly male aged between 18 and 32 years old, and victims are typically women and girls.

Evidence also shows that stalking is increasing across the two counties. From April 2021 to the end of March 2022, there was a rise of 36 per cent in the number of stalking offences reported compared to the previous time period.

More recently, from April 2022 to the end of March this year a total of 3,221 stalking offences were reported which is also a slight rise on the previous year.

PCC Donna Jones said: “I am committed to ensuring that we have the right support across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for victims but importantly also to prevent these dangerous behaviours by using intensive interventions with perpetrators.

“Stop Domestic Abuse already provides specialist support and protects victims and survivors of domestic abuse where stalking has been a part of the abuse, and this funding enables them to extend that advocacy and support to all victims of stalking, irrespective of whether the perpetrator is known to them or not.”

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CEO of Stop Domestic Abuse, Claire Lambon, added: “Our team of Stalking Advocates are now providing specialist support to all victims of stalking, helping them to improve their personal and cyber safety, to support their mental health, and to access the additional specialist support services they need.  

“We’re helping stalking victims speak out about their experiences and seek justice, and we’re working with other professionals to increase community understanding of the complex issue of stalking and the vulnerability of stalking victims.”