September 03, 2025 | Incident and Crime Statistics , Calls for Service (999/101/Response Times)
Request Number: FOI/15405
Category: Incident and Crime Statistics - Calls for Service
Subject: Tech Stalking among Young People
Request and Answer:
Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland does hold information to which your request relates. The decision has been taken to disclose the following.
Request 1
Q1) For the past 10 years, please share the number of reports received by the police where a victim suspects hidden spyware, AKA stalkerware, has been installed on their device by someone else, in order to track their location or monitor their activity.
Please include search results for any of the following phrases:
stalkerware, ‘spyware", ‘mSpy", and ‘tracking app".
a) 2015
b) 2016
c) 2017
d) 2018
e) 2019
f) 2020
g) 2021
h) 2022
i) 2023
j) 2024
k) 2025 – latest available data
Answer 1
Please note the terms "stalkerware" or "spyware" or "mspy" or "tracking app" were used in the search field to obtain the below data. The vast majority are related to phones being stolen and the owners using tracking apps to find them.
a) 2015 - 0
b) 2016 - 2
c) 2017 - 3
d) 2018 - 3
e) 2019 - 1
f) 2020 - 4
g) 2021 - 5
h) 2022 - 7
i) 2023 - 12
j) 2024 - 24
k) 2025 so far - 10
Request 2
Of the reports in Q1, how many of the victims were aged under 25?
a) 2015
b) 2016
c) 2017
d) 2018
e) 2019
f) 2020
g) 2021
h) 2022
i) 2023
j) 2024
Answer 2
Please note the terms "stalkerware" or "spyware" or "mspy" or "tracking app" were used in the search field to obtain the below data. The vast majority are related to phones being stolen and the owners using tracking apps to find them.
a) 2015 - 0
b) 2016 - 0
c) 2017 - 1
d) 2018 - 0
e) 2019 - 1
f) 2020 - 0
g) 2021 - 0
h) 2022 - 0
i) 2023 - 0
j) 2024 – 5
k) 2025 so far - 2