Stalking Victim Calls for Further Reforms

A woman who was stalked by her former partner believes that the government’s proposed measures, which involve informing victims of their abusers’ identities, are insufficient. Jess Phillips, the Minister for Safeguarding, stated that the forthcoming statutory guidance is intended to provide “peace of mind” to those who have been victimized. However, Zoe Dronfield of Coventry, who nearly lost her life due to her ex-boyfriend, contended that these measures would only be effective if accompanied by enhanced police training. She remarked, “It’s all very good giving us legislation that can be used but the police need to understand how to use [it] in the first place.” Ms. Dronfield suffered a neck stabbing and was stamped on by Jason Smith, who received a 10-year prison sentence in 2015. She asserted that law enforcement officers lacked adequate training to identify the danger she was in. Ms. Dronfield recounted the period prior to the assault, stating: “He was calling me hundreds of times a day, making threats that he was going to turn up at the house. “When I contacted the police, they said: ‘Well he hasn’t really done anything yet.'”They’re not specialists in stalking… In my case, they didn’t understand those behaviours because I was told there was nothing they could do.” Ms. Dronfield indicated that informing victims of their stalkers’ identities would be beneficial, but emphasized that any reforms must be implemented in conjunction with enhanced police training. She further commented, “I think that takes a bit of power out of the stalker – if you don’t know who it is and what’s going on, that is very unnerving.” She continued, “But these aren’t reasonable people and they don’t play by the rules.”To think that a piece of paper and an order would stop them… Often, domestic homicides happen when they’re on bail conditions so it’s a similar kind of thing.” This proposed alteration is included in the government’s broader strategy to enhance protection for stalking victims across England and Wales. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that these measures constitute “an important part of our cross-government mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.” Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.