ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the efficacy of the legal response to stalking in order to determine whether the criminalisation of stalking has proved to be a successful means of resolving the problem. The efficacy of the legal response is examined with reference to the following issues: • Did stalking amount to a sufficiently serious social problem to merit legal
intervention? • Was the existing law inadequate to address stalking? • How has the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 addressed the
deficiencies of the existing law? • What are the shortcomings of the Protection from Harassment Act? • Has the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 been effective in terms of:
(a) preventing further harassment; and, (b) providing protection for the victim?
