Do the police take harassment/stalking seriously?

[Golfbluemotion]

DD is being harassed and it's awful. She's 17 and this girl will not leave her alone. College bave tried to deal with it but it hasn't stopped.
Things include setting up social media accounts specifically to contact her, 'Fan sccounts' where she posts constant pictures of DD, she befriends acquaintances of my DD such as her boyfriend's ex etc. She has followed my.DD on a train to London...
Nothing we do or the college do stops the harassment. More has happened this week and my DD is frightened (as am I).
Are the police likely to take it seriously?

Absolutely. I see people prosecuted in court for much less than this on a daily basis. Get it all printed out then speak to the police. They may well speak to her first and tell her to stop it but if it continues they will prosecute.

Thank you so much, that is really positive to hear. My DD feels totally helpless and is constantly watching her back for this girls next move. Awful

She should contact the National Stalking Helpline.

Yes . Absolutely .

Make a list of everything that has happened . With offences like stalking and harassment , every incident , no matter how ‘small’ or ‘petty’ ( words used to me by people reporting stalking offences ) is like a jigsaw puzzle piece. Every piece helps to make the picture .

I would absolutely report it and expect it to be dealt with properly.

Has your daughter told her to stop this behavior, that it's unwanted?

If so, this more than meets the threshold.

Outside of police involvement...how old is the stalker (presumably she's a fellow student)? Have you contacted her parents? A letter from your solicitor informing them that you're referring the matter to the police might prompt them to act.

Yes, this has been going on for newrly 4 years now. We thought it would stop when she went to sixth form, but it has got worse. The obsession this other girl has with my daughter scary now.
This girl started at my DD's high school in year 9 as she had been 'bullied' at her previous school (it very quickly became obvious who the problem was at previous school).. My dd was asked to be her buddy for her first few days. That's how all this started. My dd didn't want to be friends with her past this buddy system as this girl was truly trouble.

What a nightmare

And yes, my DD has told her to stop, and the head of her college has also been involved and categorically told her to stop.

Phone the staking helpline for advice and also the police. If for some reason they don’t take it seriously keep at them until they do. This is not ok and your poor dd should not have to live in fear of her safety.

You need to ensure that they are taking it seriously. Make them aware that you consider it criminal harassment and have/are involving the police. Ask for a copy of their bullying/harassment policy. Get them to confirm in writing how they intend to safeguard your daughter moving forward.

Definitely contact the police, hopefully you have a record of all the instances that you can pass on to them.

Don't let this drop

Yes.

with harassment much of the “level of seriousness” is based on victim impact.

so report it, and make it very clear your dd is unable to live her life, is waiting for it to escalate, is in fear that it may turn to violence, that it’s ongoing and sustained etc etc.

we have a tendency to minimise and question ourselves with harassment/abuse/coercive cases. Don’t. It is what she thinks it is and how it makes her feel is very important.

Have you asked college to suspend or expelled the harasser?