Would you know if you were being stalked?
Security and safety advice for victims
Useful information
Professional, discreet and timely advice and support is always available from:
BBC Safety Advice Line: 0370 411 0464 or ext 0464 Ask.AL@bbc.co.uk
Head of Corporate Security: [email protected]
BBC Investigation Service: 020 875 24168 [email protected]
In an emergency always contact the police by dialling 999.
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Would you know what to do about it, or where to get help?
This leaflet has been produced by BBC Safety as a guide for use by television/radio personalities, managers and staff on how to recognise acts of harassment and stalking, what to do about it, and where to get help.
It is not uncommon in the BBC, or any other media organisation, for those who appear on television or radio to fall victim to the attention of those who are fixated in some way with their work.
People usually associate the word “stalking” with being followed about or telephoned by a person whom they may or may not know, to the point where it becomes at the least a nuisance and at the worst a confrontation with the stalker.
However, very often stalking begins in what might appear to be much more innocent activity such as the sending of letters or e-mails of adoration, the sending of gifts of flowers or chocolates. Sometimes these gifts and letters encourage a response from the recipient, and once this is achieved the stalker usually is encouraged by the contact to step up their activity and intensify the contact arrangements, more often than not taking it to a level where they wish to meet the person who is the centre of their attention.
I’d get thirty bouquets of flowers in a month – Friends would say
“Aren’t you lucky?” I was terrified. Tracey Morgan – Victim of stalking.
The potential for presenters and staff to become the victim of the attention of a stalker (harassment) is regarded as high. This is especially so where the victim has a high public profile.
A stalker can generally be defined as someone who does something that is calculated to annoy or cause discomfort to another, or to threaten another with violence.
Examples of stalking range from making unsolicited telephone calls, sending letters, parcels and e-mails, to following victims, and waiting outside work premises or home address, etc.
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Television presenter Jill Dando had been the victim a stalker, who employed most of the contact tactics described above in the months leading up to her murder outside her home address in Fulham in 1999. The individual making the unsolicited contact was eliminated from the police enquiry in the early stages of the murder investigation, but admitted stalking her. Another man was eventually charged with her murder, but his conviction was subsequently quashed.
Jill Dando Presenter Murdered in London 1999
There have been many other cases before and since that dreadful murder, where presenters have fallen victim to the unsolicited attention of men or women who use a number of tactics to harass our staff.
Where you can get help if you are a victim of stalking or harassment.
Legislation has been in existence since 1997 in the form of the Prevention from Harassment Act. To help deal with stalking issues a National Stalking Helpline (Tel: 0300 636 0300) has been established with a website http://www.stalkinghelpline.org/.
If you are in immediate danger call 999. Tell the operator you want the police, tell them who you are, where you are, and what is happening.
If the threat does not appear to pose an immediate danger, contact the BBC Investigation Unit or the Head of Corporate Security, where the expertise in these matters resides. This will also enable confidential co- ordination of resources (police, local security, mail checks, etc.)
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The following prevention advice and recommendations are offered in the first instance. There are a number of other options which may be invoked to deal with stalking, details of which may be obtained by contacting the BBC Investigation Unit or the Head of Corporate Security.
How you should deal with unwanted attention.
If you become the subject of unwarranted attention and unwelcome intrusion into your private life this must be reported to your employer, agent, or the police (if appropriate) at the earliest opportunity.
It is strongly recommended that on screen/on air personalities do not go to meet unexpected callers at BBC Gates or Receptions, without verifying the visitors bona fide.
Do not arrange for personal packages to be delivered to BBC Receptions as they will not receive the security screening carried at goods inwards and mail rooms.
All physical evidence must be retained in order to substantiate the instigation of appropriate legal restraining procedures at an early stage. For example letters, packages, e-mails, voice messages and texts should all be kept as evidence and records of the harassment.
These items should be handed to the police if they are involved, or the BBC Investigation Service.
If your work results in you having a high public profile you must ensure that any instance of pestering or stalking is reported in full to the BBC Investigation Service from the beginning and on every subsequent occasion it occurs.
Failure to act early may severely disadvantage you should the actions continue to a more intense stage.
Co-operative action between the subject/victim and the BBC is to the advantage of both parties if the cause of the unwelcome attention is due in any way to the nature of the victim's work.
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The actions of individuals who indulge in “stalking” and similar practices are extremely difficult to anticipate. They also often have a strong belief in the justification for what they are doing. This 'justification' is often beyond the comprehension of others and the most innocent of events can sometimes trigger unpredictable and violent behaviour.
Advice for travelling to work and home
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I AM BEING FOLLOWED?
If you believe you are being followed:-
• if you have a mobile phone, contact the police and follow their advice;
• if you do not have a mobile phone, attempt to drive to a police station if nearby, or return to your place of work;
• failing this go into a large petrol station (preferably with CCTV cameras) and ask staff to telephone the local police;
• if possible write down the: Registration Number - Colour - Make - Model of the vehicle following you. Also make a note of the numbers and description of the occupants.
IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED
DO NOT RETURN HOME!
Stalkers may know some of your route home and follow from any given location. Consider varying your times and route to and from work.
Do not display any BBC stickers in your car (parking permits etc).
IF YOU THINK YOU ARE IN DANGER DIAL 999
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Advice for when you are at home
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE HARASSMENT PROBLEMS AT HOME?
If you are visited at home by a stalker, phone your local police. Tell them where you work and why you believe you are the victim of harassment. Inform the BBC Investigation Service. Draw your curtains and go to a room away from where the stalker is standing. If family or friends are expected to visit, ask them to delay their visit until you contact them again. When Police arrive ask for their ID before allowing entry.
DO NOT ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE STALKER - THEY WANT YOU TO REACT
If you discover incidents of damage to your property, inform your local police immediately. Tell them where you work. Also inform the BBC Investigation Service.
Consider asking your telephone company to make your home telephone number ex-directory.
Ask neighbours in area if they see anything suspicious at your home to contact local police.
Stalkers may rummage through your rubbish bins and retrieve private information. With this in mind it is good practice to shred any papers with your personal information on them.
Neighbours themselves have been targeted in the past. Consider making them aware of your concerns.
If you find a suspect package left at your home:-
**DO NOT OPEN OR TAMPER WITH IT**
Place it down carefully in a safe place where no one will touch it and call the Police immediately via 999.
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Friends & Family
What Should I Tell Them?
Friends and family should be made fully aware of your current circumstances. Stalkers have targeted friends and family in the past.
Family may receive telephone calls from the stalker. Advise them to ask for the name, address and telephone number of the caller. Remember to do a 1471 number check.
Tell your family not to give your personal details to anyone without your knowledge and permission.
Advise your family to be vigilant and give them information on what to look for when receiving mail.
Tell them not to open anything they believe may be suspicious. Contact the local police for advice.
If they receive an abusive or threatening phone call at home, remind them to do a 1471 check. Contact your local police station and the BBC Investigation Service.
It may be worth considering supplying family members with a mobile phone for personal safety.
If suspicious persons approach them in the street - go to the nearest place of safety - i.e. Police Station - Shop - Garage - (ideally with a security camera) -ask the staff to contact the police.
DO NOT ARGUE WITH THEM! They want you to react
It is strongly recommended that, in the first instance, you refer any such incident to the BBC Investigation Service on 020 8752 4168. They will be able to offer you practical advice and, if appropriate and desired, will involve the police. Whether the police are to be involved or not is a matter that can be negotiated with those involved, but in any case the service is discreet and effective.
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PERSONAL SECURITY – PRIVACY
The following advice is for those with a high public profile, and/or engaged in programme making, such as: senior management, production executives, presenters and journalists, for whom it may be prudent to restrict the availability of their personal details i.e. home address(es) and telephone numbers.
For these people, a balance usually has to be struck between reducing risk to themselves, and not restricting their own freedoms. Advice on this is always available from Head of Corporate Security.
Advice
Avoid revealing details about your personal circumstances that could be used by a potential attacker. The following are some precautions to adopt:-
Home telephone numbers should be ex-directory. Contact your telephone service provider (e.g. BT, TalkTalk, etc.) to arrange this. (The instruction is passed by your telephone company to the OSIS UK national database used for all 118 Directory Enquiry providers).
Electoral Register forms now allow you to remove details from the published register of electors. Check the box on the form to do this, or contact the local authority where you reside to request that your listing is removed from the public version of the Electoral Role. In many cases this can be done via their website initially.
There is more information on this from the UK Information Commissioner’s
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Take advantage of the Mailing Preference Service.* This will reduce the risk of your name and address appearing on the mailing lists which are frequently bought and sold by businesses and becoming increasingly available.
(*The forms are available from The Mailing Preference Service, Freepost 22 LONDON W1E 7EZ Tel. 0845 703 4599 or http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ It takes approx. 3 or 4 months for somebody's name to be removed from the relevant databases. The Service is not retrospective, i.e. if a firm already has a person's name for direct mail purposes, The Mailing Preference Service cannot withdraw it from them.)
A similar service is offered by the Telephone Preference Service on Tel. 0845 070 0707 or http://www.fpsonline.org.uk/tps/ and the Fax Preference Service on Tel. 0845 070 0702 or http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/fps/
192.com is an online people finder. To remove your details go to http://www.192.com/misc/privacy-policy/ and read about their privacy policy and download their corrections form. Follow the instructions on the page. This procedure will also remove your details from other i-CD Publishing Ltd software, such as Info Disk, used by the BBC.
123people.com is an international online people search website that draws contact information from many online sources. If a search for your name finds information that you do not want displayed, go to http://www.123people.com/page/reputation and follow the advice.
Note: a better level of anonymity is achieved if all family members of voting age residing at the same address also carry out the procedures above.
Home addresses and other identifying details should be excluded from such publications as "Who's Who" and other easily obtainable sources.
Always, when subscribing to a service such as household utility, financial services, magazine subscription, membership of a group or club etc., ensure that you tick the box that prevents your details being passed to other organisations.
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The DVLA also releases information collected about you to a wide range of motoring related commercial organisations. Be careful to only submit “required information” (not “optional” information) when filling in forms online to prevent unnecessary disclosure of personal information that could be uniquely identified with you. Follow this link to see their statement on this http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/privacy.aspx
Be careful what details you give if subscribing to internet news groups, forums, chat rooms, social networking websites, etc., especially Facebook, mySpace, Twitter, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, Google, etc., which are all popular targets for attack. The same caution should also be adopted by family members. Always read the privacy settings information and select the most appropriate for your needs.
Google your own name or trading name and check any links that are displayed in case they reveal contact information that you would prefer to withhold.
Television camera crews and press photographers should not generally be allowed to enter your private homes. However, where agreement is reached to grant interviews to the press on private premises or to the publication of articles about the private lives of interviewees or their families, the media (including BBC colleagues) should be asked not to publish details which would help to identify a home address or regular way of life.
Further advice and assistance may be sought on how to handle these issues from the Head of Corporate Security.
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Precautions at Work
When carrying out high risk activity, such as covert filming, investigative journalism, or when under specific threat, greater caution is required that contact details are not carelessly released.
Ensure that mobile phone or other direct contact details are not left on voicemail messages at home, in the office, or on assignment.
Do not use a maiden name in the belief that it will disguise identity, as these are usual known and easily traced.
Complete the BBC Internal Directory Removal procedure by sending an e- mail to Directory Updates stating:- 1. Individual(s) name(s) to be removed 2. Level of security required 3. Removal from: a) operators directory for external calls only b) operators directory for all calls (internal/external) and removal from the corporate directory (Gateway) c) operators directory, corporate directory and global address list properties on e-mail 4. Date that removal is required from (5 days notice required to action these requests) 5. Date that reinstatement is required if applicable (this option can be left open and the individual(s) reinstated via e-mail to Directory Updates.
Contact Telephone Services Manager or Telephony Service Centre Manager if you encounter any problems with this procedure.
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Remember - In an emergency always contact the police by dialling 999.
Professional, discreet and timely advice and support is always available from:
Professional, discreet and timely advice and support is always available from:
BBC Safety Advice Line: 0370 411 0464 or ext 0464 [email protected]
Head of Corporate Security: [email protected]
BBC Investigation Service: 020 875 24168 [email protected]
Other Health, Safety and Security guidance is available on myRisks Information
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