Over 3,000 stalking cases reported in Hertfordshire last year
Less than 10% of cases solved according to police data
Over 3,000 stalking offences were reported in Hertfordshire in the 12 months leading to March 2026, with less than 10% solved, according to Chief Constable Andy Prophet.
Chief Constable Prophet disclosed the figures to Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Jonathan Ash-Edwards, during their monthly performance meeting.
Between the end of March 2025 and March 2026, Herts Constabulary recorded just over 3,000 stalking offences.
This figure represents an increase of approximately 10% compared to the previous year when under 2,700 stalking crimes were recorded.
Mr Prophet said, “Stalking is a really awful crime, where an individual will deliberately go out of their way to cause misery to another by stalking them, maybe physically or in the online space.
"It’s a really serious matter and often tends to be connected with domestic abuse-type issues.
“In the 12 months to March this year, the constabulary recorded just over 3,000 stalking offences. That compared to the previous 12 months of just short of 2,700 stalking offences. So, we saw an increase of about 10% over the last 12 months.
“They are difficult offences to investigate very often, and sadly, we are not solving as many of them as I would like. In the last 12 months, we have successfully solved 256 cases, which is just short of 10%.
“We clearly have work to do and a very clear ambition to do better than that. If you take the last three months of data, we’ve started to do marginally better, but it is marginally better – solving 11.5% of cases.
“There’s a really clear focus for the constabulary and my teams to work really hard to get better at investigating and solving this horrible crime.”
In response, the PCC emphasised the year-on-year increase in reports and noted that HMICFRS previously identified stalking as an under-recorded crime in the county.
Chief Constable Prophet indicated that the increase is likely linked to better recording practices rather than an increase in crime itself.
He said: “The constabulary put a huge amount of effort into getting our recording practices right. We’ve trained significantly and extensively specialist teams of officers and staff."
He added that improved confidence among victims may have contributed to the rise in reporting.
The PCC queried the method and frequency of assessment for stalking investigations.
The chief constable explained that dip sampling of stalking investigations occurs monthly to assess the quality and progression.
This initiative is overseen by multiple levels within the organisation, including two oversight boards.
Chief Constable Prophet said: “With any shortcomings, are they corrected? And the dip sample cases are taken to two oversight boards in the organisation. One is chaired by my assistant chief constable, who leads crime fighting, and that is ultimately overseen by my deputy chief constable.”