Stalking and harassment

Have you been affected by, or do you want to know more about, stalking and harassment?

Stalking and harassment are very similar and can take many different forms, ranging from persistent, unwanted comments to severe invasions of your privacy and threats of violence.

Harassment is when someone:

sends you abusive text messages or images
posts abusive messages about you or to you on social media
makes unwanted or offensive phone calls to you
carries out repeated anti-social behaviour

If you’re in a dispute with your neighbour and their behaviour is abusive or they damage your property, this is also harassment.

Stalking is a form of harassment, but the person who is targeting you will have an obsession with you and their repeated, unwanted behaviour can make you feel distressed or scared.

Stalking is when someone:

follows you
turns up uninvited to your home and/or workplace
hangs around somewhere that you often visit
watches or spies on you
steals your identity by signing up to services or buying things in your name
writes or posts online about you when you don’t want them to or without your knowledge

Online stalking and harassment is when someone monitors, stalks, harasses, threatens, controls or impersonates you using the internet or other technology. It can be just as intimidating and traumatic as physical stalking and harassment.

Online stalking and harassment is when someone:

monitors your internet activity, email or other electronic communication
sends you unsolicited sexual images via social media, dating apps or data sharing services such as Bluetooth and Airdrop (cyber flashing)
gets access to your email and social media accounts
spams you with multiple emails or messages
sends you viruses that damage your computer software
steals your identity
threatens to publicly share your private information, photographs or copies of messages
adds tracking software to your devices

How you might be feeling

Stalking and harassment can cause severe psychological trauma.

The unwanted, repeated attention can have a serious impact on your physical or mental health as well as your day-to-day life. If someone is targeting you, you’re likely to feel threatened, anxious and afraid. What might start as a vague annoyance can quickly escalate into fear and intimidation as the harassment or stalking continues, sometimes over a long period of time.

The person stalking you might be someone you know, for example a work colleague, a friend, someone you dated or an ex-spouse. Whether you know the person or not, you’re not to blame for their behaviour.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure if you’re being stalked or harassed, or if you’ve reported it to the police or not, we’re here for you. You’re not alone, and help is available.

Get the help you need

If you’d like more information or support, contact us now.

As well as receiving help from us, you can also get support from other organisations and charities. See below or search our directory.

Your personal network – If you’ve been affected by stalking and harassment, don’t suffer in silence. Even if you don’t want to report it to the police, tell a trusted friend or family member about it, and use them for support.

National Stalking Helpline – A free service offering advice for victims of stalking run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Call 0808 802 0300 or visit the website for other ways to contact them. The Am I Being Stalked? tool can help you to assess your situation.

Get Safe Online - Provides unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety, including how to protect your devices.

Get Safe Online: Online Gender-Based Violence – Specific information about gender-based violence online, what it is and what to do.

The Mix - UK-based charity that provides free, confidential support and information for young people under 25. You can contact them by texting THEMIX to 85258 or visit the website to organise counselling support.

How to report stalking and harassment to the police

In an emergency, when a crime is being committed or has just been witnessed, there is a risk of injury, or a risk of serious damage to property, call 999.

In a non-emergency or to make a general enquiry, call 101.

You can report stalking or harassment to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) online. Your report will be dealt with in exactly the same way as if you’d spoken to an officer directly.

If you want to speak to an officer in person, visit a police station. Find your nearest police station. GMP will provide a safe and comfortable environment and a translator if you need one.

You can report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is a charity that’s entirely independent of police and never shares details of people who’ve got in touch.

What to do if you’re being stalked or harassed

The first step is to recognise that you’re being harassed or stalked. If someone’s unwanted behaviour happens two or more times, it might be a crime and you can report it to the police.

Here are six steps you can take to protect yourself, but only do what’s safe for you:

Don’t engage with your stalker in any way

Keep evidence if you can and log incidents by making a note of the date, time, what happened and how it made you feel

Talk to family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues or your manager about the harassment if you feel comfortable doing so. They may be able to help by collecting further evidence on your behalf or by putting protective measures in place

Check how much of your personal information is public and take steps to protect your data

Trust your instincts

Call 999 in an emergency

Physical stalking – ways to keep safe

If you’re being stalked in person, there are ways to protect yourself, but only do what’s safe for you.

You can:

carry a personal alarm, when activated these emit a loud noise and sometimes also have a bright light that flashes
vary your daily routine and take different routes to and from work
know where the nearest safe location is, this could be a police station or a 24-hour supermarket with security guards and CCTV
talk to the police about installing CCTV and/or installing a panic button at your home
install an alarm system at your home
use a smart doorbell with camera
ensure all your doors and windows are locked before you leave home or go to sleep

Online stalking – ways to keep safe

If you’re being stalked online, there are ways to protect yourself, but only do what’s safe for you.

You can:

get your computer checked for malware and keystroke logging software
install anti-virus and firewall software on your devices and keep it up to date
change your passwords frequently and don't use the same password for everything
limit the amount of information you share about yourself on social media and check your privacy settings. The National Cyber Security Centre has advice on how to check your settings on all the major social media platforms
report any stalking/harassment activity on websites to the administrators. If they won't act, contact the web hosting company
visit the Greater Manchester Police website for more information on how to protect yourself from online stalking and harassment

Protective orders the police or courts can issue

There are different protective orders that can help protect you from further stalking or harassment. These are issued by the police or courts and include:

stalking protection orders
restraining orders
criminal behaviour orders
domestic violence protection orders

You can apply online, by email, by post or in person for a non-molestation order if you’re a victim of domestic abuse and the person who’s currently stalking or harassing you is an ex-partner.

For more information visit the Greater Manchester Police website.