Police arrest 89th alleged stalker in NI during national awareness week
Monday, 24th April, marked the beginning of National Stalking Awareness Week and the one year anniversary of stalking legislation going live across Northern Ireland.
To mark this week the Police Service of Northern Ireland published figures, which have today risen to 89 arrests of alleged stalkers and 48 charged.
Earlier today, the local policing team in Downpatrick arrested and charged a 63 year old man from the Newcastle area with stalking and breach of a restraining order against a 49 year old female. He is due to appear at Downpatrick Magistrates court on 22nd May. As is normal procedure all charges are reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.
Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher from the Service’s Public Protection Branch said: “Yesterday, we issued a strong public message to not ignore the red flags of stalking behaviours.
“Another potential victim has now reached out to us for help and today local officers arrested and charged her alleged perpetrator.
“This only serves to reiterate our commitment to tackling this insidious crime. Stalking will not be tolerated in our communities. Over 4,500 officers and staff have now been trained to recognise and respond and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to bring potential offenders to justice.”
Throughout this week Police will be continuing to work with partners to raise awareness of this crime type and encourage more victims to come forward.
For more information on the red flags of stalking behaviours visit the Police Service’s website here: https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/keeping-safe/protecting-yourself/stalking-and-harassment
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