In light of the widespread media interest in Richard Gadd's Netflix series ’Baby Reindeer’ we would like to commend all victims of stalking who have had the courage to come forward and seek support for this devastating crime. The experiences portrayed in Baby Reindeer are a shocking reminder of the extent to which stalkers will pursue their victim through any means possible and how frightening this is for anyone who is the subject of such fixated and obsessive behaviours. Around 13% of victims seeking support from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s National Stalking Service identify as male, with around 17 % of perpetrators identifying as female. While this is predominantly a crime which disproportionately affects women, with around 64% of stalking victims identifying as female and 71 % of perpetrators identifying as male, there is no such thing as a typical stalker or stalking victim and Baby Reindeer highlights the fact that anyone can experience this.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is working to roll out its Multi-Agency Stalking Intervention Programme model (MASIP) across police forces following the success of its pilot sites in Cheshire, Hampshire and London. This model focuses on breaking the patterns of obsession and fixation in individual perpetrators and is tailored to their specific triggers and behaviour patterns. Crucially the victim remains central to this process and their safety must be paramount.

We would urge anyone who thinks they might be being stalked to call the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300 or contact us on https://www.suzylamplugh.org/am-i-being-stalked-tool