A stalking epidemic has spread across England and Wales amid soaring rates of the sinister crime. Total offences are among the highest in Birmingham, one of the country's largest cities. There were almost 3,400 incidents reported to police in the city in the year to September.
However, Birmingham is not among the worst stalking hotspots in terms of crime rates, which compare total offences to populations. One Midlands city, Stoke-on-Trent, is among the worst places, ranking 10th in the country for stalking crime rates. Birmingham is in 67th place on the national list.
Latest figures come during Stalking Awareness Week, as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust warns that stalking continues to be overlooked as a contributing factor in cases of homicide and suicide. Last year, police recorded over 135,000 stalking offences in England and Wales, an astonishing 4,600% rise from just under 3,000 crimes 10 years ago, according to House of Commons Library figures analysed by the Liberal Democrats. Improvements in recording practices may have had some bearing on surging figures.
Both men and women are victims of stalking, but nearly three-quarters (73%) of stalking victims are women, according to the latest Government figures. More than 90% of victims experience psychological impacts following stalking behaviour, according to research.
In the year ending September 2025, there were 3,677 crimes of stalking recorded in Leeds, more than anywhere else in England and Wales, 3,382 in Birmingham, 2,633 in Bradford, and 2,247 in Manchester. But Blackpool has the highest crime rate for stalking offences. Last year, there were 1,016 crimes of stalking recorded in the seaside town, a rate of 7.2 crimes for every 1,000 people.
Crime rates, calculated by dividing the number of crimes by the size of the population, are generally considered the fairest way to compare offending across areas of different sizes. After Blackpool, Gloucester has the highest stalking rate (5.4 per 1,000 residents), followed by Hyndburn in Lancashire (5.3), Wakefield in West Yorkshire (5.1), and Blaenau Gwent in Wales (5.0).
It comes as a new report by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust warns that stalking behaviour is often missed in the lead-up to homicides and suicides. Emma Lingley-Clark, interim CEO of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said: Stalking behaviours must be consistently recorded wherever they have contributed to homicide or suicide, so we can fully recognise their role in the escalation to fatal harm. We know stalking can escalate into fatal fixation, yet across public bodies and agencies it continues to be dangerously underestimated - rather than treated with the urgency it demands.
Lib Dem Women and Equalities Spokesperson Marie Goldman MP said: Stalking causes untold damage to the lives of victims and can have a detrimental impact on both the mental and physical health of individuals, leaving them and their loved ones living in constant fear. These figures show the terrifying scale of the issue here in Britain. We need to stamp out the stalking epidemic, which is sweeping the country, by ensuring those responsible for this predatory and intimidating behaviour are held accountable and face the full force of the law.
