PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Domestic Abuse and Stalking (3 December 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to introduce measures to track, manage and routinely supervise perpetrators of domestic violence and serial stalkers in a similar way to sex offenders.

Asked by:
Stuart Andrew (Conservative)

Convicted stalkers and perpetrators of domestic violence are already captured on the Police National Computer. We are working to make better use of existing databases and improve connectivity and information sharing rather than
creating new databases or registers for each offence. Since April 2014, offences of stalking and harassment are being reported separately in Police Recorded Crime figures. This will allow us to develop a more comprehensive
picture of the scale of stalking and monitor cases more effectively.

We introduced two new offences on 25 November 2012 to strengthen legislation around stalking and extended police search powers to improve investigation of these crimes.

In addition, the Home Secretary has established a National Oversight Group to ensure recommendations from HMIC’s Review into domestic abuse are acted upon. This includes work to improve data collection and data sharing on serial
abusers.

We have no current plans to legislate on this issue. However, the Home Office consultation on strengthening the law on domestic abuse closed on 15 October. We are currently assessing the responses and we will consider all of the issues
raised in order to determine next steps to offer the best possible protection for victims.

Answered by:
Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat)
10 December 2014