Stalking victims better supported thanks to Commissioner's investment

In April 2025, Commissioner Grunshaw announced his investment in specialist support for victims of stalking through Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service. Since then, the service has been supporting victims across Lancashire and training other professionals to ensure that victims receive expert support tailored to their needs.

As part of the service’s first performance review with the Commissioner’s Office, Paladin shared that their service is currently providing ongoing support to 55 stalking victims at high risk of harm while their cases are investigated or going through the criminal justice process.

The team has also trained a number of professionals from the police, the NHS, and local victim support services to improve the response stalking victims receive when they make a report or ask for help.

Further training is scheduled for September, ensuring that even more professionals can increase their knowledge and expertise to support stalking victims in Lancashire.

Commissioner Grunshaw said: “Stalking is a high-impact crime that can affect every aspect of victims’ lives and it’s crucial that they can access dedicated support to help them cope and move forward.

“I’ve commissioned Paladin to provide this locally, and I am confident that stalking victims are benefiting from the expert support available to them.

“I’m really pleased to see that local agencies working with victims are taking up Paladin’s training offer. This will no doubt improve the support victims receive when they report stalking to the police or other agencies.

“I will continue to fund local services to ensure that victims of crime have access to specialist services should they ever need them.”

Louise, Chief Operating Officer at Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service added:

“Having a dedicated service in Lancashire is a much needed and positive step forward to improving the response to victims of stalking across the area and we welcome the support from the Police and crime commissioners office. At Paladin we are starting to see an increase in referrals. There is more awareness around stalking from our training days with professionals in Lancashire, which is turn is supporting improving the response and keep victims safe. ”