Harassment Victim Praises Work of Cleveland Police

A victim of harassment has praised the work of Cleveland Police for how officers and staff supported her during a harrowing ordeal with her ex-partner.

The Middlesbrough woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, called Cleveland Police after she ended a relationship but continued to receive multiple unwanted calls and texts, which left her frightened to go about her daily life.

The victim has written to senior officers and heralded the work of Sgt Denise Knox, PC’s Keith Longstaff and Rebecca Knight on the new vulnerability desk for ‘being supportive and reassuring when she was extremely frightened and scared’.

Police Staff Investigator Rachel Lines and response PC’s Pete Madden and Natalie Appleton were also praised by the victim for ‘keeping her updated and treating her with the utmost respect in such an emotionally difficult time’.

The work of these officers led to the offender being arrested, charged and prosecuted in court for harassment and given a restraining order, community order and rehabilitation activity requirement.

Highlighting the good work of the Force, the victim said: “Recently, I have found myself in a situation that I honestly never thought that I would be in. I tried to end a relationship with a long-term partner, who unfortunately did not take it very well. The outcome was that I became frightened and scared in my own home and especially when out in public areas.

“I want to thank every professional who has helped me through this difficult time. From the call handlers on 101 to emergency call takers on 999. The whole team has been a credit to the profession, and when at times I felt I was overreacting and using vital resources which I know are stretched, they could see how vulnerable I sounded.

“I realise that it will take me some time to come to terms with the past few weeks and feel totally at ease and safe, but knowing what a fabulous police force we have in Cleveland will go a long way for me to achieve this.”

Assistant Chief Constable Lisa Orchard said: “I’m so proud of the work of these officers and staff in making the lady feel safe and listened to during what must have been such a distressing time in her life. Harassment has such an emotional impact on victims and leaves them fearful and isolated in their own homes.

“It’s so important that we recognise vulnerability and respond accordingly, even more so when victims don’t see how vulnerable they are themselves. This is a great example of the different teams within Cleveland Police working together to support the victim and achieve the right outcome and we will continue to support this victim if offending continues.

“Anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse can call Cleveland Police and report it, people can be assured that they will be listened to and perpetrators will be dealt with.”