More stalking and harassment offences recorded in Bedfordshire

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Meanwhile the number of offences declined across England and Wales, while continuing to disproportionately impact women.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a stalking and personal safety charity, warned stalking is an "underreported and therefore under documented crime", and called on the Government to publish its new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and provide more funding towards specialist support services.

Stalking and harassment offences are defined in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and offenders can get up to 10 years – or 14 years if racially or religiously aggravated – in custody.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show Bedfordshire Police recorded 5,108 stalking and harassment offences in the year to March – up 3 per cent from 4,949 the previous year.

It means there were around seven such offences per 1,000 people in the area, which was below the 10 per 1,000 average across England and Wales.

Police forces across the two nations logged 599,908 stalking and harassment offences last year, representing a 6 per cent decrease from 636,954 the year before.

While the national number of offences has declined in recent years, stalking continues to disproportionately impact women.

Separate ONS crime survey figures show women accounted for 70 per cent of the 1.4 million estimated stalking victims across England and Wales last year.

Overall, around one in eight women were victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse or stalking last year.

The Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords for second reading, includes measures aimed at strengthening the response to stalking.

It would ensure stalking protection orders can be made in more circumstances, statutory agencies support victims effectively and firmly manage perpetrators, and the Home Secretary can issue statutory guidance on stalking.

Saskia Garner, head of policy and campaigns at the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, warned "stalking remains an underreported and therefore under documented crime".

She said: "Stalking can shatter lives, with 91 per cent of victims experiencing psychological effects and 78 per cent suffering symptoms consistent with PTSD.

"Alarmingly, stalking behaviours were present in the histories of 94 per cent of 358 female homicide cases with male perpetrators."

She added the Trust is urging the Government to publish its new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and "provide £243.8 million in ring-fenced funding for specialist support services so that no stalking victim falls through the gaps".

The crime survey figures also show 39 per cent of victims of stalking in England and Wales last year were victims of cyber stalking, 22 per cent of stalking by a partner or ex-partner and 9 per cent of stalking by a family member.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Stalking is a terrifying and insidious crime that can rob victims of their freedom and safety, which is why we have announced a raft of measures as part of our mission halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

"This includes strengthening the use of Stalking Protection Orders, reviewing the stalking legislation and introducing new guidance to better support the police and other organisations to work together to tackle this crime more robustly."