Thousands of stalking and harassment reports since law changed

According to figures obtained by 1News under the Official Information Act, police have received 4613 reports in relation to stalking and harassment – with 4386 of these recorded as an offence.

Police have served more than 900 stalking and harassment notices and, as of Friday, 227 charges for stalking/harassment have been filed in court.

Three charges have been convicted and sentenced, and 29 charges withdrawn.

The Ministry of Justice said the small number of convictions at this stage "is not unusual for a new offence". However, the take-up in attention to the crime has heartened those who advocated for change.

In the lead up to stalking and harassment becoming an offence, several woman who had experienced stalking shared their stories, including Zeni Gibson.

"I would take this experience to the grave if I could, but the idea of someone else experiencing what I was experiencing during the worst of it is just excruciating, to be honest," she said.

Starting from when she was a teenager, Gibson was stalked for almost a decade.

"It developed from kind of these love-bombing type messages, which were very unsolicited, by saying that this person wanted to be with me, to much more threatening messages against not only me, but my family as well, and my friends," she said.

She said the number of offences since the new law change will be a motivator for people to come forward, but still paints only part of the picture.

"The success of the law change is ultimately going to be judged on the experiences of victims coming forward. How did they feel? How did their lives change for them? What support did they receive?"

Under-reporting

Auckland Women's Centre spokesperson Janet McAllister said, as with all violence and abuse against women, stalking will be "massively under-reported," adding that there are several reasons for that.

"They may be concerned that the stalking will increase in response to their attempts to get support, but probably more importantly there are a number of reasons why people may not trust the police," she said.

In a statement, NZ Police acting director of prevention, Inspector Natasha Allan said authorities recognised some victims had previously felt unheard or that their experiences were not fully understood.

"We also recognise that legislation alone is not enough. We need to ensure our people understand the impact of stalking, recognise patterns of escalating behaviour and respond with empathy and care. We worked to do that through our training and preparation for staff on the implementation of the new law."

Allen said police were committed to continuing to improve it's response, "listening to victims’ experiences and ensuring their safety remains at the centre of our decision-making".

McAllister said about a quarter of the offences were family violence related.

"For people who may be stalked by a colleague or a neighbour or a stranger or an acquaintance, that involves three-quarters of the reports to police so far.

"There are currently no ongoing specialised support services for them. This is a significant gap in the support services," she said.

However, New Zealand's Chief Victims Advisor, Ruth Money said a pathway existed for victims to get help.

Looking to the future