Revealed: Total of stalking and harassment arrests made in North Yorkshire in last five years

This data, collected by criminal injury claim experts JF Law, shows an alarming rise in the figures in the week the Government unveiled plans to crack down on stalking.

In total, 5,417 arrests were made on charges of stalking or harassment between April 2019 and March 2024, an increase of 80% over five years.

Arrests for stalking or harassment, both of which are offences under The Protection from Harassment Act 1997, have consistently risen over the past half-decade.

There were 811 arrests made in North Yorkshire in 2019/20, followed by 1,005 more in 2020/21.

The number of arrests then climbed to 1,104 in 2021/22, but dipped to 1,015 in 2022/23. Detentions reached a five-year high in 2023/24, with 1,146 arrests logged.

Police also disclosed that 725 arrests were made in the first half of 2024/25, almost the same number of arrests as in the entirety of 2019/20.

Last month saw North Yorkshire Police join other forces in publishing a new action plan to act on a recent complaint about police handling of stalking reports, which was raised two years previously by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

An independent investigation by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and the College of Policing led to a series of recommendations for police forces.

North Yorkshire Police posted: “North Yorkshire Police recognise the seriousness of stalking and has already made improvements in its response in recent years.

“However we know there is much more to be done and work is ongoing to build on the improvements and implement the recommendations in the super-complaint.”

On Monday, the Home Office announced plans to roll out anti-stalking measures including the ‘Right to Know’ statutory guidance which will allow police to release an offender’s identity “at the earliest opportunity.”

The measures would also make Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) more available, giving courts the ability to impose them directly when an offender is convicted.

The announcement also included a Home Office vow to publish data on stalking offences.

The data is not currently publicly available, while the Ministry of Justice did not respond to JF Law’s request to provide the latest data on SPOs

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We will use every tool available to us to give more power to victims.

"This starts with empowering police to give women the right to know the identity of their online stalkers, strengthening stalking protection orders and ensuring that the police work with all support services to give victims the protection they deserve.”

The police figures for North Yorkshire showed that 352 arrests for stalking or harassment between April 2019 and September 2024 were of offenders aged under 18.

The most represented age group in the arrest statistics were 26-35 year-olds (1,825 arrests), while 36-45 year-olds were arrested on 1,350 occasions.

Arrests of people in the 36-45 group rose by 72% across the five-year period, while 135 were people aged 66 or above.

For more information on JF Law, which provides free, round-the-clock guidance for victims of violent crime who are considering seeking compensation for their injuries, visit: www.jflaw.co.uk