More effective approaches to tackling stalking and harassment
22 March 2012
Nottingham
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Stalking refers to persistent, intrusive and unwanted attempts to contact a victim. Stalkers may watch or try to contact their victims at home or at their place of work, follow them from place to place, and make repeated phone calls or send continual text messages.
Currently, there is no legal definition of stalking, and no specific legislation in place to tackle this kind of harassment. In the absence of provable threats of violence or acts of burglary, police have often found it difficult to take effective action. However, stalking is a common feature of a significant number of violent crimes. It is therefore argued by some that stalking should be seen as a warning sign of a high risk of future violence and, as such, taken much more seriously.
Even where it is short lived, stalking can be a terrifying experience which leaves victims looking over their shoulder for years afterwards and may trigger mental health problems.
The government’s cross departmental National Stalking Strategy Group and ACPO’s Strategy and Harassment Working Group are both considering tougher responses to reports of stalking. Much of the impetus for change has been triggered by cases brought under the Equalities and Human Rights Act where victims or their families believed that, had earlier reports of stalking have been taken seriously, the final violent act would have been prevented. This has already lead several police forces to produce stalking policies.
The ability to stalk victims through the use of electronic media, including mobile phones and the internet, has added a new dimension to the debate on stalking and harassment, including among young people.
Scaling up the response to stalking will involve a wide range of agencies and the development of a proactive approach towards identifying victims, and sufficient awareness and knowledge to involve appropriate services. This seminar brings together some of the UK’s experts on stalking and the latest developments in relation to policy and practice.
Specialist psychologists are now working with stalkers to address their behaviour. This ranges from coaching people with learning disabilities to cope with rejection, through to intensive therapy with potentially violent stalkers.
This seminar brings together some of the UK’s experts on stalking and the latest developments in relation to policy and practice.
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- A better understanding of stalking: who does it and why?
- The changing approach of police and other agencies to take stalking much more seriously
- The impact of cyber-stalking
- The extent to which action should be focussed on our ability to predict high risk stalkers
- Options for therapeutic interventions with stalkers
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Key Sessions (subject to change)
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| 9.30 - 10.15 |
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Registration and coffee |
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| 10.15 - 10.25 |
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Welcome and introduction from the chair
Dianna Broadmeadow, Domestic Abuse Consultant; formerly Domestic Abuse Manager, Lincolnshire County Council |
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| 10.25 - 10.55 |
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What is stalking, who gets stalked, and why?
Dr David Holmes, Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University |
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| 10.55 - 11.25 |
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A life changing experience
Tracey Morgan, stalking victim; member of ACPO's Stalking & Harassment Working Group |
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| 11.25 - 11.35 |
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Q&A session |
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| 11.35 - 12.05 |
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Coffee |
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| 12.05 - 12.35 |
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The changing legal and police approach to stalking and harassment
Chief Inspector Paul Williamson, West Mercia Police; member of ACPO's Stalking & Harassment Working Group |
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| 12.35 - 1.05 |
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The impact of cyber-stalking and options for tackling cyber stalkers
Dr Emma Short, National Centre for Cyberstalking Research, University of Bedfordshire |
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| 1.05 - 1.15 |
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Q&A session |
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| 1.15 - 2.05 |
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Lunch |
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| 2.05 - 2.45 |
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The debate around identifying high risk stalkers and the extent to which this should determine where we focus resources (inc. Q&A session - 10 minutes)
Davina James Hanman, Director, AVA |
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| 2.45 - 3.00 |
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Quick break |
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| 3.00 - 3.45 |
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Therapeutic approaches to working with stalkers (inc. Q&A session - 10 minutes)
Dr Frank Farnham, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist & Clinical Lead; and Dr Sara Henley, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, National Stalking Clinic |
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| 3.45 |
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Close of seminar |
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- Police
- Probation services
- CPS, magistrates and lawyers
- Community safety partnerships
- Domestic abuse practitioners
- MARAC members
- Social housing providers
- Learning Disabilities services
- Human resources professionals
- Advocacy services, including Citizens Advice Bureaux
- Education services
- Young people’s projects
- Community health practitioners
- Mental health specialists
- Organisations working with victims of violence
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Programme
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Delegate rates
• Standard delegate rate £165 + VAT
• Reduced delegate rate £140 + VAT
(Limited number available to small community organisations with 10 or fewer employees)
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SPECIAL OFFER |
| Discounts available for multiple bookings. |
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To make a booking
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To make a booking
NOTE: the booking form on-line and paper format both include full terms and conditions of booking.
> CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Confirmation of booking:
Your booking will be confirmed by email where possible (and by fax or post otherwise), and you will be provided with directions to the venue and details on nearby hotel accommodation. If you do not receive such acknowledgement, please contact Central Conference Consultants Ltd on 0115 916 3104. |
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Dianna Broadmeadow will be chairing the seminar. She was until recently the Domestic Abuse Manager for Lincolnshire County Council. A firm believer in the need to keep evolving both thinking and practice on domestic abuse, Dianna is now an independent trainer and domestic abuse consultant.
Dr David Holmes is a psychologist at the Department of Psychology, and Director of the Forensic Research Group, at Manchester Metropolitan University. His specialist areas include stalking and offender profiling.
His books include:
Holmes D.A. 2010. "Abnormal, Clinical and Forensic Psychology". Pearson Publications.
Holmes D.A. 2003. "Essence of Abnormal Psychology". Piter.
Holmes D.A., Geluk H.L.C. 2001. "Kleine psycopathologie 2001". UB Utigevers.
Tracey Morgan was a victim of stalking for almost ten years. Despite multiple convictions for a range of offences connected with Tracey, her stalker continued his activities. He was finally jailed for life for the attempted murder of another women who had befriended him. Tracey's experience had a devastating impact on her private life, but led her to become one of the most resilient anti-stalking campaigners in the UK. She was pivotal in the passing of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, has gone on to co-found Protection Against Stalking, and campaigns and speaks in favour of better protection and support for victims and survivors. She is a member of the ACPO Working Group on Stalking and Harassment.
Tracey has a blog which you can access at traceymorgan.wordpress.com, and her full story can be read on Protection Against Stalking's website see www.protectionagainststalking.org (choose the 'Surviving Stalking' button).
Paul Williamson is a Detective Chief Inspector with the Major Investigation Unit of West Mercia Police. He is one of the UK Police leads on Stalking and sits on the ACPO Stalking and Harassment Working Group.
Dr Emma Short is Co-Director of the National Centre for Cyberstalking, based at the University of Bedfordshire. She is leading the ECHO (Electronic Communication Harassment Observation) project which is investigating harassment in online communities. The study was launched last September, commissioned by the Network for Surviving Stalking, and is the first research project focusing purely on cyberstalking.
Davina James Hanman is the Director of AVA (against Violence and Abuse) and was the first domestic violence coordinator ever appointed in the UK. She is a proactive, challenging and committed advocate for more effective measures to address violence against women. She was formerly the Department of Health policy lead on domestic violence as well as being an Associate Tutor at the National Police College. She is also a Lay Inspector for HMCPSI, acted as the Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into domestic violence (2007/08) and Chairs the Accreditation Panel for Respect. In 2009 she assisted the Home Office in the writing of the national violence against women strategy.
Dr Frank Farnham is the Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in charge of the National Stalking Clinic, the first national clinic aimed at treating stalkers which opened in London in December 2011. The NSC is based at Chase Farm in London and run by the by Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust. Courts in England and Wales will be able to refer offenders to be assessed and treated, instead of giving them short prison sentences. The NSC will also assess stalkers referred by other agencies including the police, probation service and the NHS.
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The event will take place in Nottingham.
Directions and details of nearby accommodation will be provided following booking.
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Enquiries
If you have any queries about the event please contact the organisers, Central Conference Consultants Ltd, on 0115 916 3104 or email ccclimited@aol.com |
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