Suzy Lamplugh Trust Stalking Super-complaint: Our action plan

By 27 March 2025, where required, seek changes to their crime recording systems to enable staff and officers to document and search for crimes not recorded as the principal crime, as included classifications on crime records.

7.1 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Processes should be put in place to make sure this system capability is effectively used by officers and staff.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables 
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary uses a system called ATHENA to record crime and intelligence. ATHENA is already fully searchable for stalking when it is both a principal crime and a classification.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: BAU

7.2 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: While any necessary system changes are pending, chief constables should put alternative measures in place to make sure stalking and related offences are fully searchable. This could, for example, be the submission of intelligence reports

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables 
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary run a daily Stalking and Harassment report which includes both primary and included classifications which is reviewed by our dedicated Stalking Officer.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: BAU

By 27 March 2025, review and update their learning and training provision relating to stalking.

Chief constables should also make sure that their policies and practice are reviewed and updated in accordance with the findings in the super-complaint investigation report.

10.1 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Meets the learning outcomes on stalking within the public protection national policing curriculum

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Conbstabulary will embed a dedicated VAWG trainer who will design and deliver training aligned to the public protection curriculum. This will supplement the vulnerability training delivered to all staff.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 

10.2 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Makes appropriate use of the stalking or harassment e-learning product developed by the College of Policing.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary will ensure that by 27th March 2025, at least 70% of the workforce will complete the College of Policing stalking eLearning package.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 

10.3 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Uses the skills and knowledge of local victim advocates or others from outside policing with relevant expertise.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary has a dedicated Stalking IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor) who works closely with our stalking officer. The Stalking IDVA's knowledge will be used to assist in the development of the forcewide training.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 50%

10.4 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Includes information on relevant local policies and practice where necessary

• Recommendation owner:  Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary will review and amend its current stalking policy to reflect the super-complaint learning and it will be approved within governance by March 27th 2025. All relevant internal and external stakeholders will be consulted to ensure it reaches and positively impacts our complete end-to-end stalking responses.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 25%

10.5 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Provide to the officers and staff who will most benefit from the learning.

• Recommendation Owner:  Chief Constables
• Force update: The training officer will produce a matrix of need from which priortisation of the courses will be identified with a focus on response, investigation and force control room staff.
• Date:  11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

By 27 March 2025, make sure that appropriate mechanisms are in place to fully understand the scale and types of stalking behaviour within their force and the effectiveness of their response. This should align with the VAWG national delivery framework.

11.1 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Problem profiles using police data and intelligence and other sources of information to ensure that the full extent of stalking is well understood. This could include information sharing with local victims’ services and other public services, and national and local statistics.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: By March 27th 2025, Cambridgeshire Constabulary will commission a problem profile for stalking to include all locally owned police and partnership data as well as specialist Independent Domestic Violence Advisor and Victim and Witness Hub information to ensure self-referral statistics influence our true understanding of the issue. 
• Date:  11/11/24
• Status:  In Progress 

11.2 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Regular assurance work such as audits to better understand the force response and make improvements where appropriate, including monitoring the use of SPOs, investigation outcomes and the quality of investigations.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary currently undertakes audits and holds multi-agency scrutiny panels to independently hold ourselves accountable. This provision will be extended to include Stalking with all learning and good practice being fed back into organisational delivery and governance through our Organisational Improvement Team. We undertake monthly Victim Standard Audits aligned to the HMICFRS framework. Stalking will be introduced, along with other vulnerability areas, as a thematic audit area to ensure ongoing scrutiny with a particular focus on “getting the basics right” such as VCOP (Victims Codes Of Practice) compliance, suspect management, outcomes and supervisory oversight.
• Date: 11/11/24
• Status: In Progress 

11.3 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Ways to regularly receive feedback from victims, such as victim surveys.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: The Constabulary currently has a number of victim feedback mechanisms, which include victim crime surveys and engagement events with survivors. Additional provision will be explored in this area seeking to utilise national best practice . Through our multi-agency VAWG operational group, our key partners bring to the forum feedback from their clients which ensures we understand not only the perspectives of victims who engage with Police, but also feedback from those who feel unable to report to recognise barriers and challenges to this. This feedback will be reviewed to again explore how we can use it to enhance service to victims.
• Date: 11/11/24
• Status: In Progress 

11.4 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Force management statements which reflect current and future demand from stalking.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Annually, Cambridgeshire Constabulary runs a business planning cycle named CamSTRA (Cambridgeshire Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment) which acts as the Force Management Statement outlining an assessment of current and future demand. Stalking has and will continue to be a key area of assessment for the Head of Protecting Vulnerable People Department allowing the organisation to holistically understand need and make business decisions. The super-complaint will be a key feature in the next CamSTRA cycle.
• Date: 11/11/24
• Status: In Progress 

By 27 March 2025, take steps to make sure that risk identification, assessment and management is effective in all stalking and breaches of orders cases.

12.1 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Considering implementing the stalking screening tool to support the identification of stalking and the risks associated with stalking.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary is currently working with other forces nationally and the force system provider, Athena, to incorporate the Stalking screening tool into it's ICT system. It is anticipated that by Spring 2025, all frontline staff attending a report of Stalking in Cambridgeshire will be using the screening tool. 
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 25%

12.2 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Having clear policies and procedures in place for assessing and managing risk in all cases. And where appropriate, embedding recognised risk assessment tools in force systems so that it is easy for officers to access, use and document their consideration of risk and safeguarding.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: The new iteration of a Stalking and Harassment policy will be clear on processes associated with prevention, identification, investigation (particular reference to PIP2 (Professionalising Investigation Programme) resources) and safeguarding of stalking based on the risk assessment outcome. This will link directly to the College of Policing guide for investigators to ensure initial response through to outcome decisions are complemented by clear, risk-based rationales and decision making.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 

12.3 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Recognising (in policies, guidance and training) the heightened risk associated with breaches of protective orders and measures.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Through our dedicated Stalking Officer based within our Prevention and Vulnerability Hub, we scan daily for breaches of SPO’s (Stalking Protection Order) and other protective orders and measures. These breaches are escalated through daily force tasking and high harm offender processes inviting collaboration across all departments to problem-solve and robustly manage. Our stalking policy will be updated to reflect this.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 50%

12.4 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Implementing screening and checking processes to support the early identification, assessment and management of high-risk cases. This may require stalking and breach of order cases to be considered at daily management meetings.

• Recommendation owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary has a dedicated Stalking officer who undertakes elements of this recommendation on a daily basis. Options are being explored to widen this provision through additional resourcing within the remit of VAWG prevention.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

By 27 March 2025, take steps to make sure that force strategies, structures and processes are in place so that police consider an SPO in every stalking case, and apply for an SPO where relevant and appropriate to prevent harm and further offending.

To achieve this, chief constables should review, and revise policy, guidance and supporting processes where necessary.

13.1 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Local training and guidance on SPOs, including training and guidance for supervisors.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: As detailed in recommendation 10, we plan to introduce a dedicated VAWG training officer who will focus on Stalking to upskill constables and sergeants. This training will include the importance of SPO’s, identification of appropriate cases, completing documentation and onward proactive management via our Integrated Offender Management team. This will be completed by March 2025. 
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

13.2 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Mechanisms for supporting investigating officers to identify cases where SPOs would be appropriate and assisting them with SPO applications. This could be through dedicated teams or roles and/or through daily management meetings considering risk and safeguarding.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: Through our dedicated Stalking Officer based within our Prevention and Vulnerability Hub, we scan daily for all cases of stalking (primary and included classification). Within this, the primary objective is for the stalking officer to proactively support OIC’s in identification of cases suitable for a SPO (Stalking Protectin Order) and commence liaison with our Force Legal Department including preparation of documentation. By March 2025, we plan to increase the resource available to support this work recognising the importance of SPO’s and other civil measures as crucial to prevention and safeguarding.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

By 27 March 2025, take steps to make sure stalking victims receive the rights they are entitled to under the victim’s code and have access to support services.

14.1 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Victim needs assessments are always completed

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary has mechanisms in place for ensuring the completion of IVNA’s including Investigation Management Unit review, supervisory quality assurance and monthly auditing mechanisms via our Crime Standards Delivery Group. We have also mandated fields within the technological application officers use when raising crimes to ensure Initial Victim Needs Assessments are completed on every occasion. It remains our intention that every victim for every crime has a victim needs assessment completed.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 50%

14.2 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Their force has appropriate processes to make sure all stalking victims are told about their rights and under the victims’ code.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: All victims of crime are provided with details of their VCOP (Victim Codes of Practice) rights at the point of crime reporting through to ongoing contact with the allocated investigating officer alongside VCOP rights are available on our force website. Compliance with VCOP is scrutinised at Force Performance Board and Crime Standards Delivery Group ensuring all victims receive the service they are entitled too. This process will continue and updates added to this action plan to evidence compliance.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 50%

14.3 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Information about the national and specialist stalking support services available in their force area is easily available to police officers and staff, victims and the general public.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary are currently exploring the internal and external literature we have available for staff, victims and members of the public to ensure it is reflective of the full extent of services available locally and nationally, especially in light of any changes to commissioned services through Ministry of Justice funding opportunities in Spring 2025.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 25%

14.4 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Victims who would like to receive support are referred to an appropriate service in a timely manner.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: Through processes within our Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub and Victims and Witness hub, we have manual and automated processes which ensure stalking victims are signposted to support services within 2 days of reporting a crime. Within our local IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor) service, we have a dedicated stalking IDVA and the Victim and Witness Hub have multi-disciplinary services ensuring a tailormade response to stalking victims based on their needs. These processes will continue and updates added to show compliance.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 25%

14.5 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: They monitor the number of stalking victims who are referred to specialist support services and take action when referral numbers are low.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: Through our Prevention and Vulnerability Meeting, referrals for all crime types in to Victim and Witness Hub are monitored monthly and by 27th March 2025, we will ensure we break out referral levels for VAWG crime types, including stalking. Across the partnership, referrals are assessed both from a qualitative and quantitative perspective through VAWG operational groups and MASH governance and therefore we have inbuilt mechanisms to be responsive to declining referral numbers.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress 25%

By 27 March 2025, work together to review commissioning arrangements and make changes as soon as possible to ensure they embed collaborative working and information sharing between policing and services providing victim support to stalking victims.

16.1

• Recommendation owner: CCs, PCCs and their mayor equivalents
• Force Update: The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Darryl Preston has committed to review the local commissioning arrangements to ensure that they embed collaborative working and appropriate information sharing between policing and support services. Through the work ongoing within Cambridgeshire Constabulary around the future operating model for stalking and opportunities available through Ministry of Justice funding, a key component will be the continued partnership working within the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, Prevention and Vulnerability Hub and including, but not limited to, the Independent Domestic Violence Advisory service and probation as key stakeholders. We will review our information sharing agreements to ensure stalking victims are provided the utmost support. 
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

27 March 2025, make sure the new College of Policing investigations APP content on case allocation is reflected in the relevant policies relating to the allocation of stalking and breach of order cases for investigation.

17.1 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Force policies should support the allocation of stalking cases to officers with the right skills and experience, taking into account the potential risk and complexity involved in stalking and breach of order cases.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: The new College of Policing investigations APP (Authorised Professional Practice) will be fully reviewed and embedded within the latest iteration of our stalking policy. The new policy will have particular reference to ensuring each stalking crime is reviewed and allocated by, and to, a qualified PIP2 (Professionalising Investigation Programme) detective. This will then be reflected in our crime allocation policy and audited to ensure compliance. 
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

By 27 March 2025, take steps to improve the quality of stalking investigations by taking a victim centred, suspect focussed and context led approach.

18.1 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Their workforce has the capacity and capability to undertake effective stalking investigations and can apply new and innovative investigation techniques to pursue digital lines of enquiry.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary will examine ways to improve its provision in regard to investigations with a digital footprint and will work with other regional and national forces to identify and implement good practice.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

18.2 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: All reasonable lines of enquiry are pursued, supported by good supervision.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary will achieve this through the revised forcewide training plan and will monitor performance against this action through existing audit processes.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

18.3 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Arrest and search powers are used to gather evidence from and about suspects.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Suspect focussed investigations will place a spotlight on perpetrators utilising intelligence, analysis and disruption opportunities meaning we arrest at the earliest opportunity and follow, through a robust investigation plan, all reasonable lines of enquiry with a view to positive criminal justice outcomes. Through our current tactical tasking processes, we will continue to identify the highest harm offenders to manage the risk, including ongoing assessment of preventative and disruption opportunities such as SPO’s and multi-agency intervention. This approach will form part of our ongoing training and we will monitor application through existing auditing and governance mechanisms.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

18.4 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: The impact on victims is evidenced in witness statements, so it can be used to inform charging decisions and improve the likelihood of successful investigation outcomes.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force update: Through a victim centred approach, we will place survivor wishes at the heart of the investigation, with an emphasis on their experiences to inform case strategies and improve the likelihood of positive outcomes. Cambridgeshire Constabulary recognises the fact that the impact of Stalking on victims is traumatic and can often lead to extensive lifestyle changes in order to escape the behaviour of the perpetrator. Forcewide training will focus on capturing this impact in victim statements to improve the likelihood of successful prosecutions.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

By 27 March 2025, take steps to improve how their force effectively recognises and responds to online elements of stalking.

20.1 Evidence requirements of progress/completion:  The scale and nature of online stalking behaviours informs their strategic understanding of, and the response to, stalking.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables 
• Force Update: We will commission a stalking problem profile which will include gaining an understanding of the scale and scope of online offending. It is acknowledged this is an area which is under-reported and misunderstood and so we will incorporate national and partnership data to gain a fuller, richer strategic picture.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

20.2 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Examples of online stalking are included in locally produced training and guidance material about stalking.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables 
• Force Update: The Constabulary will invest in training for frontline, investigation and call handling staff to enable them to improve their understanding of Stalking behaviours, with a particular focus on digitally enabled and online offences. Utilising learning from Operation Soteria digital forensics work, we will improve investigators' understanding of digital strategies and increase the oversight our dedicated Digital Media Investigators have within stalking cases.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: In Progress

20.3 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Clear online safety advice is available to officers and staff, drawing on the College of Policing APP on stalking or harassment when it is developed.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables 
• Force Update: Using the specialist skills within our Digital Forensic Unit and the embedded stalking trainer, we will develop a training package which highlights the behaviours seen within online offences and ensure it is referenced fully within the new stalking policy. This training will also include the online safety advice from the in-production stalking APP (authorised professional practice) ensuring it is available to all staff and contained within literature provided to victims.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

20.4 Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Appropriate tools, technologies and support services to digitally safeguard victims are procured and officers and staff use these resources when appropriate.

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables 
• Force Update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary are actively reviewing Operation Atlas (investigating stalking through data led enquiries) which was trialled in the Metropolitan Police and subject to governance; we expect to launch our own pilot within early 2025.
  We will benchmark national opportunities for safeguarding victims in the online space including support services and technological tools ensuring the advice we provide to victims is based around best practice.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

By 27 September 2025, using the information collated by the NPCC lead under recommendation 21, to consider whether and how dedicated stalking officers and staff, or other subject matter experts, can be used to add value and support the force response to stalking.

22.1

• Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables
• Force Update: Recommendation 21 is a national collation of opportunities around dedicated stalking officers. Within Cambridgeshire Constabulary we currently have a dedicated stalking officer based within our Prevention and Vulnerability Hub whose remit is to review crimes, provide support to investigators, liaise with partnerships and identify and complete SPO (Stalking Protection Order) applications. This role has recently been enhanced by our Integrated Offender Management team undertaking responsibility for enforcement of SPO’s. We plan to increase resourcing around VAWG prevention, including stalking and so any considerations from the NPCC (National Police Chief Council) lead, will be reviewed to continuously improve our provision.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

By 27 March 2025, implement a mechanism for early screening of crimes to improve the identification, recording and management of all stalking cases.

23.1 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: Forces should consider screening crimes similar to stalking or where stalking behaviours may be present as part of a course of conduct, like harassment, malicious communications and breaches of orders.

Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables

Force Update: In response to the super-complaint, Cambridgeshire Constabulary crime registrar team have developed and delivered a specific training package, including case studies and a decision-making flowchart, to improve identification and classification of stalking offences. We also have a dedicated Crime Data Integrity Review team who review all incident closure reports to ensure the correct crime classification code is applied. Working with our crime registrar, we will review our screening process for offences which may have stalking behaviours present to ensure that, by March 2025, we are satisfied fully that the screening tool and aforementioned processes, mean stalking offences are identified at the earliest opportunity. Where opportunities have been missed, we will draw out thematic areas of learning which will influence future training and communications.
We will build upon these processes, alongside the use of the stalking screening tool, to continue to improve early opportunities to identify offences ensuring a victim-centred, suspect focussed and context led investigation is conducted as soon as possible. 

Date: 11/11/2024

Status: In Progress

By 27 March 2025, explore opportunities to improve how their force works with partners to contribute to a multi-agency response to stalking. This should include considering:

25.1 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: How the force works in partnership with healthcare, the CPS, probation services and other criminal justice partners to manage stalking perpetrators and address their behaviour.

• Recommendation Owner: CCs, PCCs and their mayor equivalents
• Force Update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary already undertake multi-agency scrutiny panels and we are exploring how this can be extended to stalking offences utilising multi-agency expertise and problem-solving to manage perpetrators.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

25.2 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion:Whether and how they should collaborate with other forces to effectively and efficiently contribute to multi-agency partnerships on stalking.

• Recommendation Owner: CCs, PCCs and their mayor equivalents
• Force Update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary take part in regional stalking meetings where data is scrutinised, learning is shared and national updates provided. Through this forum, an agenda item for broader regional multi-agency working will be added to ensure all opportunities are explored.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

25.3 - Evidence requirements of progress/completion: How multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) are being used to effectively manage stalking offenders.

• Recommendation Owner: CCs, PCCs and their mayor equivalents
• Force Update: Cambridgeshire Constabulary has strong MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements) arrangements with good partnership engagement from strategic to operational. However, we recognise that MAPPA is not utilised sufficiently within the stalking space. In collaboration with the MAPPA co-ordinator we will ensure the arrangements reflect the opportunities presented and our new stalking policy will signpost MAPPA as an option for management within the community.
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Not Started

By 22 November 2024 (56 days from publication), write to HMICFRS, the IOPC and the College of Policing setting out their response to the recommendations made to them. Chief constables should direct their response to the NPCC which should provide a collective response on behalf of all police forces. PCCs and their mayor equivalents should direct their response to the APCC which should provide a collective response on their behalf.

27.1

• Recommendation Owner: All bodies subject to recommendations
• Force Update: Completed
• Date: 11/11/2024
• Status: Action Complete

By 22 November 2025 (56 days from publication), publish on their force website an action plan which explains what their force will do in response to each of the recommendations made to them and send the NPCC a link to where this action plan can be found.

By 27 March 2025 (six months from publication) provide an update to the NPCC describing the progress they have made against their action plans.

28.1 

Recommendation Owner: Chief Constables

Force Update: An action plan has been completed and will be published on the website. Through a dedicated working group: delivery against the plan will be tracked ensuring full progress updates will be provided via internal governance and to the NPCC (National Police Chiefs Council) by 27th March 2025.

Date: 11/11/2024

Status: In Progress 25%