How to report stalking or harassment
In this section:
| 1. What is stalking and harassment? |
| 2. What to do now if you're being stalked or harassed |
| 3. Protection from online stalking or harassment |
| 4. How to report stalking or harassment |
| 5. Protective orders |
| 6. Support for victims and witnesses of stalking and harassment |
If you, or someone you know, has experienced two or more incidents of stalking or harassment you can report it to us.
We understand it can be difficult to tell us about what's happened, but we want to hear from you. We take these offences very seriously.
Before you report, you don’t need to gather ‘evidence’ about what’s been happening, like text messages, videos or photos. Anything you’ve got like that can be useful to us, but don’t delay reporting to get it.
Your information could help us bring the offender to justice and make sure you, and other people in a similar situation, are kept safe.
Is it an emergency?
Is someone in immediate danger? Is a crime taking place or has one just happened? If so, call 999 now and ask for the police.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.
If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can call 999 BSL to use a remote BSL interpreter.
If you're in danger but you can't talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions.
Report online
You can report stalking or harassment online.
Your report will be dealt with by our control room in exactly the same way as if you'd spoken to an officer directly.
Call 101
If you’d like to talk to someone, our national non-emergency telephone number is staffed 24/7. Call us on 101 and report what happened or just get some advice.
Visit a police station
If you want to speak to an officer in person, we can provide a safe and comfortable environment at any of our police stations.
If you need a translator, we can provide someone by phone to start with and later in person.
Staying in touch
We'll stay in contact with you throughout the investigation.
In some cases, victims of stalking or harassment may need temporary or longer-term housing alternatives. It might be that you need a court order to prevent the perpetrator approaching you, or perhaps you need counselling or support.
We work alongside highly trained non-police advisers who can assist with aftercare for you and your family.
If you need to attend court there are also support services available so that you don't feel overwhelmed or alienated by the legal process.
Report for someone else, or as a witness
If someone you know has been the victim of stalking or harassment and doesn’t feel able to speak to the police yet, please report it yourself. We’ll record the incident and help you to support the victim if needed.
You can also report as a witness, even if you don't know the victim.
Report anonymously
You can report anonymously via the Crimestoppers website or by calling 0800 555 111. Any details you can give are extremely valuable in helping us plan how we police each area.