A driving instructor hounded by a former student says officers need to be “educated” about the long-term effects of crime after a scathing report of police blunders.
Flyde Coast native Bob Coughtrey, 60, says he is “still trying to function” and is “always on guard” after being stalked by a student after he passed the exam in 2017.
He sent text messages including the words “hurt” and “stab” for weeks and later showed up at her home and threatened to kill her.
TThree official watchdogs have found that victims of stalking are being “betrayed”. In too many cases, police “failed to recognize stalking or take the necessary steps to protect victims.”
Bob said he thought the report was “absolutely spot on” and revealed a view of “almost indifference” towards persecution by authorities and society as a whole.
He said: “They see it as just a little interest – someone giving you a little attention. It’s not attention, it’s not interest and it’s certainly not invited or wanted.
“Police officers are still members of society, to be honest. I know a close friend of mine who is in the police force. He said at the time, ‘We don’t take it seriously.’ That was shocking to hear.”
Bob’s stalker appeared in court twice and was given a suspended prison sentence both times – along with an indefinite restraining order.
The boss of one of the watchdogs involved in the report, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), made it clear that victims of stalking must “have the confidence to come forward, knowing they are being listened to and supported”.
Rachel Watson, chief executive of the IOPC, said: “Unfortunately, we also saw too many cases where police failed to recognize stalking or take the necessary steps to protect victims – and police must act now to improve the situation.”
Too often, the investigation found “examples of police not taking stalking seriously enough”, and watchdogs found it “particularly worrying” that in some cases police had “failed to identify a risk of serious harm or murder to the victim”.
The report found good practices, but presented recommendations for improvement.
For Bob, the report highlights how the harm caused by stalking needs to be better understood.
“The first thing that should be considered is the sheer impact,” he said. “If it’s left – in the worst case – it costs a life and at least scars you.
“It has to be an education. We have to learn from all these cases. I’m still trying to function. I’m still trying to go about my day-to-day business.
“But I’m always on my guard. This was years ago and I’m always on my guard. It never goes away.
“Too many people are left with these mental scars – constantly looking over your shoulder.
“But if you nip it in the bud before it gets worse, the scar will be smaller.”
Responding to today’s report, Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills, from the National Council of Police Chiefs, pledged to “improve and standardize the service that victims receive”.
He added: “We remain committed to doing everything we can to improve the way police work for victims of stalking.”
Although the Crown Prosecution Service said it would continue to work with police to bring “strong” cases to court.
Conservation Minister Jess Phillips said the government would “fully respond” to the report in due course, adding of its recommendations: “We are already actively considering these and looking at how we can work with the police to review how we respond to this crime and put more perpetrators behind bars.”
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