This is a progressive step, I think – but why were stalkers ever given the anonymity they’re about to lose?
Labour government plans mean Stalking Protection Orders, which can ban alleged stalkers from contacting or being within a certain distance of their alleged victims, will be made more widely available.
Courts will be able to impose these orders after a conviction even when one was not in place before a criminal trial, in a change to the current system – where one needs to have been issued beforehand. This seems eminently sensible and one can only question the thinking that prevented it from being this way in the first place. Surely, if someone has been convicted of stalking, there’s more reason to stop them being able to stalk anybody, rather than less?
Offenders will also be prevented from contacting their victims from prison.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
But I am concerned about the measure that, if an accused person is acquitted, courts will still be able to apply protection orders on them if there is sufficient evidence indicating they still pose a risk to someone. I can see this being abused. How many men have been accused of “creepy” behaviour around women, simply for saying “hi” online?
The government also plans to review stalking legislation to find better ways for police to identify stalking and arrest offenders, and this is concerning too; let’s hope it is not used to make it easier to accuse innocent people of stalking.
I’m also concerned that the BBC’s article concentrates on stalking of women.
This Writer has suffered the attention of stalkers – both as the writer of Vox Political and in my personal life. But there are no statistics quoted about the number of men who are stalked. Two victims are mentioned – both women. And the only other people quoted, from government or support charities, are women.
That said, there seems to be no bar on the proposed measures being used to protect men; I just hope law enforcers recognise this.
And I also welcome a plan to provide statutory guidance on how stalking is to be defined – provided (again) it is not so vague as to make it easy to snare the innocent – or actually written in a way calculated to do the same. With those caveats, if it is done properly it might provide much more security, especially for people who suffer harassment online.
And people enacting such harassment might have a nasty shock, if they thought they were well within their rights to do so. I have specific people in mind as I’m writing this, and I may have more to say in the future.
It depends how this legislation develops.
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Why were stalkers ever given the anonymity they’re about to lose?
This is a progressive step, I think – but why were stalkers ever given the anonymity they’re about to lose?
Labour government plans mean Stalking Protection Orders, which can ban alleged stalkers from contacting or being within a certain distance of their alleged victims, will be made more widely available.
Courts will be able to impose these orders after a conviction even when one was not in place before a criminal trial, in a change to the current system – where one needs to have been issued beforehand. This seems eminently sensible and one can only question the thinking that prevented it from being this way in the first place. Surely, if someone has been convicted of stalking, there’s more reason to stop them being able to stalk anybody, rather than less?
Offenders will also be prevented from contacting their victims from prison.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
But I am concerned about the measure that, if an accused person is acquitted, courts will still be able to apply protection orders on them if there is sufficient evidence indicating they still pose a risk to someone. I can see this being abused. How many men have been accused of “creepy” behaviour around women, simply for saying “hi” online?
The government also plans to review stalking legislation to find better ways for police to identify stalking and arrest offenders, and this is concerning too; let’s hope it is not used to make it easier to accuse innocent people of stalking.
I’m also concerned that the BBC’s article concentrates on stalking of women.
This Writer has suffered the attention of stalkers – both as the writer of Vox Political and in my personal life. But there are no statistics quoted about the number of men who are stalked. Two victims are mentioned – both women. And the only other people quoted, from government or support charities, are women.
That said, there seems to be no bar on the proposed measures being used to protect men; I just hope law enforcers recognise this.
And I also welcome a plan to provide statutory guidance on how stalking is to be defined – provided (again) it is not so vague as to make it easy to snare the innocent – or actually written in a way calculated to do the same. With those caveats, if it is done properly it might provide much more security, especially for people who suffer harassment online.
And people enacting such harassment might have a nasty shock, if they thought they were well within their rights to do so. I have specific people in mind as I’m writing this, and I may have more to say in the future.
It depends how this legislation develops.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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