A new campaign from Crime Stoppers Victoria and Victoria Police, ‘Stalking is a Crime’ has been launched to highlight to the community the seriousness of stalking.
Stalking is incredibly harmful behaviour. It is not a single incident, but a pattern of repeated behaviour by another person over time, which causes a victim to feel distressed, fearful or worried about their safety, or the safety of others.
Harmful behaviours can include loitering near a victim’s house, publishing material on social media, interfering with the victim’s property or keeping a victim under surveillance.
Someone who stalks can be an ex-partner, a family member, or a friend. It could also be someone less well known, such as a colleague or someone who lives in the neighbourhood, or even a complete stranger.
Figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show there were 2642 stalking offences reported in the year to March 2024.
More than half of these reports were related to family violence.
The campaign launched last week, with a panel discussion at Swinburne University, featuring experts from Victoria Police, Safe Steps and No to Violence. The panel provided an in-depth discussion about the dangers of stalking, how to recognise the signs of stalking and offered attendees insights into stalking prevention.
Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive Stella Smith shared that as family violence offences continue to rise, understanding stalking and the harm it causes has never been so important,.
“We want people to feel empowered to address any stalking behaviour and to know where to turn to for support,” she said.
“Stalking is a serious crime and we want to ensure that Victorians understand the severity of stalking, that they are not alone, and that they are confident in seeking help.”
Victoria Police Family Violence Command acting superintendent Tom Nairn said that stalking is a growing problem, with the misuse of technology and social media making it easier for offenders to carry out the crime.
“Becoming a victim of stalking can happen to anyone at any time – so if you suspect or know it’s occurring to someone please speak up,” he said.
“It’s incredibly harmful behaviour – and perpetrators need to be held to account.
“The more information we have, the more we can do something about it to keep victims safe.”
If you have information about someone being stalked, share with Crime Stoppers Victoria online or call 1800 333 000
In an emergency, or if there is an immediate threat to life, always call 000. If you can’t get to a phone, ask someone else to do it for you.
