Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been charged under (a) section 2A and (b) section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each police force in England and Wales since those sections came into force.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of people charged and prosecuted, however it is not possible to identify the numbers of individuals prosecuted for offences charged under specific pieces of legislation.
Figures are only held for the number of offences charged under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in cases finalised by the CPS. It is not possible to identify the number of currently active proceedings in the courts involving charges under any specific pieces of legislation.
The CPS maintains a central record of the number of offences charged, not defendants prosecuted, under sections 2A and 4A of the 1997 Act. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.
The attached tables detail the number of offences charged under S.4A(1)(a)(b)(i) and S.4A(1)(a)(b)(ii) by each police force in England and Wales, and the number of offences charged under 2A(1) of the 1997 Act by each police force in England and Wales.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many Crown prosecution lawyers have been trained to deal with offences of stalking under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in each Crown Prosecution Service area; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)has developed two online e-Learning courses on all types of stalking. The “Cyber Crime: Cyber Stalking” course includes cyber stalking, non-cyber stalking and harassment. The “Stalking and Harassment” course (which was released in April 2014) deals specifically with stalking and harassment offences, with emphasis on building a strong case, working closely with the police, appropriate charge selection, and engaging with victims throughout the legal process. The CPS maintains a central record of the number of prosecutors who have been trained to deal with stalking and harassment offences by way of the e-Learning courses.
The following data was extracted from the CPS HR Database and the online Prosecution College Database on 11 June 2014. The data is based on those barristers or solicitors who held a practising certificate in the relevant period and were employed by the CPS on 11 June 2014. The data covers the period 1 November 2012 (the month when the Cyber Stalking e-Learning module was revised to include the new stalking offences) to 11 June 2014.The data includes only those lawyers who have completed either the Cyber Stalking or Stalking and harassment e-Learning courses, including the evaluation modules, as the database records e-Learning based on completion of all elements of the course.
CPS Cyber Stalking and CPS Stalking & Harassment Completions: Lawyers by CPS Area:
Group | Area | Completions |
Casework Divisions |
| 99 |
Head Quarters |
| 15 |
National Areas | CPS Direct | 268 |
| East Midlands | 91 |
| East of England | 81 |
| London | 195 |
| Merseyside & Cheshire | 36 |
| North East | 72 |
| North West | 121 |
| South East | 50 |
| South West | 41 |
| Thames & Chiltern | 115 |
| Wales / Cymru | 65 |
| Wessex | 28 |
| West Midlands | 55 |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | 108 |
| POCU | 7 |
Grand Total |
| 1,447 |
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, in respect of how many alleged offences under section (a) 2A and (b) 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 proceedings are active in magistrates' and crown courts in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the number of particular offences that are currently active in either magistrates' or crown courts in England and Wales.
The CPS case management system does however record the number of finalised cases which reached a first hearing in the magistrates' court as follows:
2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | ||
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(i) and (5) } | Stalking involving fear of violence | 9 | 65 |
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(ii) and (5) } | Stalking involving serious alarm / distress | 10 | 149 |
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 2A(1) and (4) } | Stalking | 72 | 529 |
There is no indication of final outcome or if the offence charged was the offence at finalisation.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, in respect of how many alleged offences under section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 proceedings are active in magistrates' courts in England and Wales.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the number of particular offences that are currently active in either magistrates' or crown courts in England and Wales.
The CPS case management system does however record the number of finalised cases which reached a first hearing in the magistrates' court as follows:
2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | ||
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(i) and (5) } | Stalking involving fear of violence | 9 | 65 |
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 4A(1)(a)(b)(ii) and (5) } | Stalking involving serious alarm / distress | 10 | 149 |
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 { 2A(1) and (4) } | Stalking | 72 | 529 |
There is no indication of final outcome or if the offence charged was the offence at finalisation.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into effect on 25 November 2012 and introduced two new offences of stalking into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 under S2A and S4A. A table showing the number of offences charged and prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) under sections 2A and 4A that reached a first hearing in a magistrates' court since these sections came into force has been deposited in the Library of the House. The data provided only shows the number of offences, not the number of people charged.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been charged under (a) section 2A and (b) section 4A of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997 in each police force in England and Wales since those sections came into force.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into effect on 25 November 2012 and introduced two new offences of stalking into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 under S2A and S4A. A table showing the number of offences charged and prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) under sections 2A and 4A that reached a first hearing in a magistrates' court since these sections came into force has been deposited in the Library of the House. The data provided only shows the number of offences, not the number of people charged.