The ‘Domestic’ in Stalking: Police and the Law in the Act

The Alternative Law Journal, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 165-169, 174, 1999

15 Pages Posted: 22 Nov 2009 Last revised: 20 Jun 2018

See all articles by Amanda Pearce

Amanda Pearce

Independent

Patricia L. Easteal

University of Canberra Law School

Date Written: 1999

Abstract

Stalking is a series of one or more specific behaviours, directed at, and designed to frighten a particular victim. The stalker may follow the victim, keep the person under surveillance, send letters or telephone, damage property or leave material where it is likely to be found by the victim. As we will see below, in a significant percentage of stalking cases the relationship between the perpetrator and victim is that of people formerly in an intimate relationship. Since there is a traditional reluctance of police to get involved in the private sphere (in the context of marital relations in any case), we were interested in identifying how they deal with ‘domestic’ stalking complaints. After overviewing the nature of this type of stalking, the criminal justice response of the past and the current anti-stalking legislation in the ACT, we explore the police response to it through a survey of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and interviews with various ‘players’ in the legal systems in the ACT and the other Australian jurisdictions. Recognising the complex dynamic between the substance of legislation and police practices, we consequently make recommendations about reform in both areas.

Keywords: stalking, domestic

Suggested Citation

Pearce, Amanda and Easteal, Patricia L., The ‘Domestic’ in Stalking: Police and the Law in the Act (1999). The Alternative Law Journal, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 165-169, 174, 1999, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1509709

Amanda Pearce

Independent ( email )

Patricia L. Easteal (Contact Author)

University of Canberra Law School ( email )

Australia

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