Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for her assessment on the effectiveness of Stalking Prevention Orders.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), is a top priority for this Government and the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December sets out clear action to tackle stalking as a part of this.

Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) are an essential tool, designed to protect victims of stalking at the earliest possible opportunity and address the perpetrator’s behaviours before they become entrenched or escalate in severity.

We know that the use of SPOs could be improved to better support victims and disrupt perpetrators. Therefore, the Government’s manifesto committed to strengthen the use of SPOs.

We are delivering on this commitment by introducing a power for the courts to issue Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) on conviction or acquittal of their own volition through the Crime and Policing Bill. We are also strengthening the use of SPOs including through setting up SPO intensification sites in select forces which aim to drive up use of SPOs and provide opportunities to test innovative approaches to enforce conditions and monitor breaches, which could be adopted nationwide.