A romantic comedy trailer is being used for a second year running by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to highlight the problematic behaviours which constitute stalking.

The two-minute film shows what appears on the surface as a 'happy couple', however the red flags soon appear with the behaviour escalating when the relationship ends.

This campaign was first developed in 2023 by Gloucestershire Police and was redesigned for a Northern Ireland audience to raise awareness of this crime type during National Stalking Awareness week (20th-26th April) and beyond.

https://youtu.be/m0R0ZRkn9jI?si=KbJNkmBNNVtx1a8p

Stalking is a pattern of unwanted, repeated behaviour which can leave you feeling scared or distressed. You do not have to be threatened with violence to be a victim of stalking, and any kind of persistent, unwanted contact which causes distress is stalking.

Sometimes stalking behaviours can appear small in isolation, but when they are combined into a pattern which follows the FOUR mnemonic - Fixated, Obsessed, Unwanted, Repeated - then you should record it, keep a log of evidence and report it before it escalates further.

New legislation was introduced to Northern Ireland in April 2022 which criminalised stalking for the first time. Since then, up until the 31st March 2026, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has made 945 arrests for stalking, resulting in 491 charges. Since, October 2023, officers have also made four successful applications for a Stalking Protection Order to safeguard victims and put prohibitions on alleged perpetrator’s behaviours. More training and signposting is now being offered to officers to encourage further use of these orders.

Detective Superintendent Kerry Brennan said: “With this campaign we are asking the public again to not ignore the red flags. If someone’s behaviour towards you is fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated, this is stalking.

“I think many people when they hear the word ‘stalking’ will think of someone lurking in the shadows. Stalking can actually take many forms and can be online as well as in person and could be someone known to you or a complete stranger.

“It is an insidious crime that takes over and destroys lives, it is not the rom com love story that people think it is. ‘They left flowers at my door again’ – this is sometimes not an act of kindness but more a warning sign of unhealthy obsession.

“Statistics show that people will suffer up to 100 incidents before reporting to Police. It often results in fear, trauma and a reduction in the victim’s quality of life, in some tragic cases it has resulted in murder.

“Stalking is a crime, which will not be tolerated or accepted within our communities. Thousands of our officers and staff have now been trained to recognise and respond to these crimes and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to bring offenders to justice.

"Our advice is if you are experiencing the behaviour highlighted in the campaign to keep a log of everything, regardless of how small you feel it may be, and contact the police.

“There are a range of things we can do in order to disrupt the person's behaviour, such as Stalking Protections Orders, which for example can block contact or attempts to make contact, create exclusion zones or order people to not post on social media with reference to a victim. A breach is a criminal offence, and these are tools available to us to manage perpetrators."

The rom-com trailer is being shared this week across the Police Service’s social media accounts, with film poster-style artwork encouraging people to recognise the FOUR signs of stalking.

The campaign aims to educate on the 'red flags' which are common in the early stages of stalking, but are sometimes misidentified as harmless or even desirable behaviours - a myth perpetrated through romantic comedies.

For further advice about spotting the signs of stalking and how to report it and seek support, visit https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/keeping-safe/protecting-yourself/stalking-and-harassment. In an emergency always call 999.

If you are not sure if you are being stalked you can contact the National Stalking Helpline: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/pages/category/national-stalking-helpline  or 0808 802 0300

Spotting the signs (a non-exhaustive list):

Getting unexpected visits to your home or place of work
Having persistent phone calls, messages or contact over social media
Receiving unwanted gifts or items turning up at your address
Interfering or damaging someone's property, or breaking into their home
Hanging around somewhere you know the person visits
The stalker making contact with your family, friends and colleagues to gain information about you, or make complaints
Verbal abuse and/or public humiliation
Hacking into social media or your emails
Spreading rumours/discrediting
Threats made against the person, family, friends and pets
Blackmail
Seeking physical proximity by applying for jobs where the victim works; joining the same gym; church; professional/social sports groups or clubs; moving into the same neighbourhood or building
Identity theft - pretending to be the victim
Running up debt in the victim's name
Planting spyware - viruses on the victim's computer/laptop
Tracking location