22 ALLEGED stalkers were arrested in the Fermanagh and Omagh area over the last two years. 

New legislation was introduced to Northern Ireland in April 2022, which criminalised stalking for the first time.

Up until the March 31 of this year, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) arrested 22 alleged stalkers locally.

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, 312 alleged stalkers were arrested, and 150 were charged.

And since October 2023, officers have also made the first successful application for a Stalking Protection Order to safeguard victims and put prohibitions on alleged perpetrator’s behaviours.  

Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher from the Service’s Public Protection Branch said people should not ignore "red flags" of stalking. 

“If someone’s behaviour towards you is fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated, this is stalking," she said. 

“I think many people when they hear the word ‘stalking’ will think of someone lurking in the shadows.

"Stalking can take many forms and can be online as well as in person and could be someone known to you or a complete stranger. 

“It is an insidious crime that takes over and destroys lives. Statistics show that people will suffer up to 100 incidents before reporting to Police.

"It often results in fear, trauma and a reduction in the victim’s quality of life, in some tragic cases it has resulted in murder."