Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of stalking were made to each police force in Wales in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016; and how many of each were investigated by the police.

The Home Office collects data on the number of stalking offences recorded by the police forces in England and Wales. Information on these offences can be found in the Home Office Open Data Tables for police recorded crime, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables.

We expect the police to investigate all crimes that are reported to them. All forces will suspend crime investigations if, after initial investigation, they conclude that there are no further lines of enquiry to pursue because there is no evidence trail or witnesses. These decisions are an operational matter for forces, but investigations can be reopened at any time should further evidence come to light. Information on the outcomes of offences recorded by the police is routinely published by the Home Office and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-statistics