Tuesday briefing: What is driving the record rise in stalking offences?

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Apr 07, 2026 · 1862 words · By Martin Belam

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Daily briefing

What to know about Tuesday briefing: What is driving the record rise in stalking offences?

Disturbing new data shows that stalking offences recorded by police in England and Wales have surged over the past decade, with sharp rises in every region.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left14%

Center72%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Disturbing new data shows that stalking offences recorded by police in England and Wales have surged over the past decade, with sharp rises in every region.

Why it matters

The number of cases charged by the Crown Prosecution Service has also climbed to the highest level on record.

Common ground

But those figures only tell part of the story.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Tuesday briefing: What is driving the record rise in stalking offences??
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Children in the UK are reporting online sextortion attempts at record levels?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/07/tuesday-briefing-what-is-driving-t…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7

schedule Pending 6

verified Verified By Reference 3

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Claim 1: “Children in the UK are reporting online sextortion attempts at record levels.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “The Crown Prosecution Service launched an action plan focused on stalking.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “In 2024-25, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the number of offences leading to charges rose to 6,790.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm the CPS's reported 6,790 stalking-related charges in 2024-25.

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Claim 4: “An Independent Office for Police Conduct study found cases of stalking were frequently misidentified and communication with victims was poor.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “Tens of thousands of resident doctors in England began a six-day strike, with Wes Streeting accusing them of torpedoing their own pay rises and training jobs.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm the doctors' strike or Wes Streeting's comments.

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Claim 6: “House of Commons Library data showed more than 135,000 offences were recorded last year, up from just less than 3,000 a decade.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries on stalking and related topics do not reference House of Commons Library data or the specific numerical increase in recorded stalking offences from 3,000 to 135,000.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In England and Wales, life imprisonment is a sentence that lasts until the death of the prisoner, although in most cases the prisoner will be eligible for parole after a minimum term ("tariff") set by…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_imprisonment_in_England_a…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include followi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalking

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Stalking Protection Act 2019 (c. 9) is an Act of Parliament put forward as a private member's bill by then Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston which creates a civil protection order to prevent stalkin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalking_Protection_Act_2019

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Claim 7: “The Liberal Democrats proposed an emergency stalking protection notice, similar to those used in domestic violence cases.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “The number of cases charged by the Crown Prosecution Service has also climbed to the highest level on record.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries about the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) describe its role and structure but do not mention any statistics about stalking-related charges or records.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (Scottish Gaelic: Oifis a' Chrùin agus Seirbheis Neach-casaid a' Chrùin) is the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Office_and_Procurator_Fi…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibili…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Prosecution_Service

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazir Afzal (born 1 October 1962) is a British solicitor and former prosecutor within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Afzal spent most of his career in the CPS, rising to be Chief Crown Prosecut…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazir_Afzal

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Claim 9: “Diplomatic negotiations to halt the war in the Middle East are faltering a day before Trump's deadline, which includes threats to destroy Iran's bridges and attack its power plants.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm diplomatic negotiations or Trump's threats.

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Claim 10: “The Office for National Statistics published figures suggesting one in five women and around one in 11 men aged 16 years and over have been a victim of stalking.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm the Office for National Statistics' reported stalking prevalence rates.

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Claim 11: “Emily Maitlis's stalking ordeal has lasted over three decades.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “The Suzy Lamplugh Trust will lead National Stalking Awareness Week, highlighting links between stalking and serious violence.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “Artemis II astronauts broke Apollo 13's distance record, becoming the farthest humans from Earth.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm Artemis II surpassing Apollo 13's distance record.

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Claim 14: “A few years earlier, that number stood at 2,305.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm the CPS's reported 2,305 stalking-related charges in a prior period.

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Claim 15: “Parts of the UK are forecasted to experience the warmest temperatures of the year so far after Storm Dave.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in Wikipedia, web search, or cross-references to confirm UK temperature trends after Storm Dave.

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Claim 16: “Stalking offences recorded by police in England and Wales have surged over the past decade, with sharp rises in every region.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries on stalking and related laws do not provide statistical data about trends in recorded stalking offences over the past decade or regional variations.

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.