Stalking victims deserve to feel safe, not just heard - that's why I'm pushing the CPS to move faster

This is shocking.

Stalking is sadly not a rare crime. It is happening right now, and more often than not it is happening to someone at the hands of someone they knew, someone they trusted.

Stalking and domestic abuse also often go hand in hand. These crimes display a similar pattern of control, sometimes continuing long after a relationship has ended, when the victim thought they had finally escaped.

This sobering reality shaped my time last week in Sheffield, where I met victims, charities and partners across government to hear firsthand how stalking and domestic abuse destroy women's lives.

Whilst in Sheffield, I spoke at a conference on tackling stalking, which brought together the CPS, the National Police Chiefs' Council, the Home Office, and victim-survivors.

I also spent time at Sheffield Women's Aid refuge which has supported women and children fleeing domestic abuse, including stalking, since 1974.

Refuges are integral to our justice system – they are at the front line supporting victims day in, day out. I was grateful to hear firsthand from victims about their experiences.

We are making progress on tackling stalking. Since 2022, the number of stalking offences charged has more than doubled, from just over 3,350 to 8,561 in 2025-2026.

Stalking Protection Orders go further than restraining orders, restricting a perpetrator's access to phones, laptops and social media; and this government has now ensured that this can be imposed on acquittal or conviction. We responded swiftly to provide these strengthened protections and target stalking behaviours at the root. This is the approach I want to bring as Attorney General. I will keep pushing the CPS to move further and faster on stalking and domestic abuse, because every woman and child deserves to feel safe.

The sad reality is that by the time a case is referred to the CPS, the harm has already happened. Someone has already lived through months, sometimes years, of being watched, tracked, controlled and abused in person and online.

Apps like Snap Maps or Find My Friends are used every day to stay in touch with friends, or to reassure a worried parent. But the same tools, such as an AirTag slipped into a car boot, can just as easily become instruments of control and fear.

Understanding how stalkers are using technology will help us to ensure a better outcome for victims of stalking in the future. That is why I hosted a tech-facilitated roundtable in July to help shape the CPS's forthcoming Tech-Facilitated Action Plan to end violence against women and girls.

I want this plan to give prosecutors the expertise to recognise and meet the challenges of the digital age, including in cases where platforms are being turned into weapons.

No-one should have to live like this.

Getting prosecutions right matters and preventing these crimes must start earlier. We need to ensure we have a system that supports victims sooner.

If you are living through this, or you know someone who is, please come forward. You will be believed. You will be heard. And you do not have to face it alone.

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Ellie Reeves KC MP is the Attorney General.

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