What is stalking?
 
The Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have defined stalking as a pattern of unwanted, fixated and obsessive behaviour which is intrusive. It can include harassment that amounts to stalking or stalking that causes fear of violence or serious alarm or distress in the victim. 

Social media and the internet are often used for stalking and harassment, and ‘cyber-stalking’ or online threats can be just as intimidating. 

The behaviour must happen on more than one occasion by the same person or group to be considered harassment; however, it can be different types of behaviour on each occasion. For example, a single threatening comment on social media is not harassment. Two comments or one comment and a text message may be considered harassment.
 
If you feel you are being harassed or stalked, you can report it to the police or apply for an injunction through civil court. It is a criminal offence for someone to harass you or to put you in fear of violence.
 
Does the person ever:
  • Follow you or make repeated attempts to make contact with or communicate with you?
  • Make or send you threatening, intimidating or nuisance phone calls, emails, instant messages etc?
  • Send you gifts from the seemingly ‘romantic’ such as flowers, chocolates or cuddly toys, to the ordering of unwanted goods and services? 

It happened to me

Think 
  • Are you in immediate danger? If you are on Campus and it is safe for you to do so, you can call Security on 0207 040 3333. If you are away from Campus, you can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone).
  • Find a safe space.  If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere you feel safe. 

Talk 
  • Talk to someone you trust. Talking things through with someone can sometimes help. This could be a friend, family member or someone at City St George's. 
  • Student Welfare and Engagement Officers are first points of contact for any wellbeing or student experience related issues. Students can discuss any challenges or life-circumstances which may be affecting their wellbeing and ability to engage with their studies.
 
Report 
  • Students can report concerns using City St George's Report + Support platform. You can choose to do this without providing your personal details or you can request support from an adviser by filling in the form with your contact details. 
  • Reporting to the police.  Where a crime has been committed, you can report what has happened to you to the police. You can call the police on 101, visit your local police station or report it confidentially online.  
  • University Procedure. If you choose to make a formal complaint to the University about a member of staff or student there are procedures which set out the steps you will need to follow.  

Support

Students can connect with staff across the University:
  • Student Health and Wellbeing provide students with practical, emotional and specialist disability related support. Students can complete the e-referral form to access these services.
  • Student Support Services are a multi-disciplinary team that provides support, expert advice and guidance to students. You can contact them through our Support@City platform
  • The Chaplaincy Team offer pastoral support to everyone, welcoming every faith, belief and culture and students with no faith, and can be contacted directly
  • The SU Advice Service offer support for students who have experienced any form of harassment, bullying or sexual violence, either on campus, online or off campus. You can access support here.

Other sources of support
  • National Stalking Helpline (0808 8020 0300) provides advice on how to deal with any type of stalking behaviour.
  • Samaritans (116 123) provides 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide. 
  • SupportLine (01708-765200) provides a confidential telephone helpline offering emotional support for those who are isolated, at risk, vulnerable and at risk of any form of abuse.  
  • Victim Support (0808 168 9111) 24/7 support line provide support and advice to anyone who has been a victim of crime, whether or not you have spoken to the police.
It happened to someone I know 

Talk
  • Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened to them can help. If someone you know has been affected, you can encourage them to seek support. It’s important to listen to what they want to do and respect the decision they make. If they do not wish to seek support or report what has happened to them, you can ask them if you can make a report on their behalf without providing their personal details.
  • Thank the person for the disclosure and acknowledge that you believe them.
  • Give options. When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps. Remember, it is important that they decide what they want to do.

Report
  • Students can report concerns using City St George's Report + Support platform. They can choose to do this without providing their personal details or they can request support from an adviser by filling in the form with their contact details. 
  • Reporting to the police.  If a crime has been committed, they can report what has happened to the police. They can call the police on 101, visit their local police station or report it confidentially online.  
  • University Procedure. If they choose to make a formal complaint to the University about a member of staff or a student there are procedures which set out the steps they will need to follow.  

Get Support

There are many ways to access support at City St George's and a number of external organisations that provide specialist support. You can encourage the person to access the support they need.  
 
Your mental health and wellbeing 
 
If you are supporting someone, make sure you look after yourself. If you’ve heard something distressing or if something is troubling you, you may also want to access support for yourself.
  • Vivup, City St George's Employee Assistance Provider (0800 023 9324) - Their telephone helpline provides staff members with expert support for life's ups and downs - 24/7, 365 days a year. Whatever mental, physical, financial or personal issue you're facing, you can find a wide range of resources to help you. 
  • The Wellbeing@City Hub provides details of additional information and support on wellbeing for staff members.

Student support and resources are available on the Student Health and Wellbeing pages on the Student Hub and students can complete the e-referral form to access these services. Students can also seek support through Student Support Services or contact staff in the Chaplaincy Team directly. Students can also access additional support through the Students’ Union.
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There are two ways you can tell us what happened