Technology facilitated domestic abuse and stalking (TFA) is becoming increasingly common, with police reports of cyberstalking, cyberflashing, sextortion, and image-based abuse rising each year. In order to prevent and reduce these prevailing threats, it is vital that law enforcement is equipped with robust training resources and evidence-based tools. However, in the UK, each police force employs different initiatives, methods and approaches to address criminal offences in their territory, and there are currently no studies assessing what initiatives are being used by police forces to tackle TFA. This makes it hard to understand what support is being provided for victims and whether they are effective at meeting their needs. 

This study seeks to map the initiatives employed by all police forces across England and Wales which address reports of TFA and to explore how these initiatives are implemented and evaluated. The objective is to understand how the police are developing and adapting their approaches to TFA and to identify areas for improvement. To explore these issues, we aim to conduct interviews with police officers, cyber volunteers and other police stakeholders. 

This study will aim to answer the following research questions: 

1. What initiatives are being implemented by police forces in England and Wales to support victims of TFA and upskill police officers so that they are well-placed to respond to TFA? 

2. How do police forces implement initiatives to tackle TFA developed and funded, and are they evidence-based?  

3. How do police forces implement initiatives to tackle TFA evaluated and what data is collected to determine whether they are successful? 

4. What are the opportunities for improving the way in which police forces implement TFA initiatives? 

If you are interested in finding out more about this study, please email Anjuli Kaul at anjuli.kaul.24@ucl.ac.uk.