Skip to content Skip to menu
  1. Home
  2. News & Newsletters
  3. News & Newsletters
  4. 'All I want is peace'

'All I want is peace'

This year’s 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence shines a vital light on the growing issue of digital violence - abuse carried out through technology, including online harassment, stalking, surveillance, and tracking. These are not abstract offences; they are deeply harmful crimes that can infiltrate every aspect of a person’s life and wellbeing.

In Dorset, I am proud that my Office provides financial support for the Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworker (ISAC) service delivered by You Trust/Paragon. This service is an essential lifeline. ISACs ensure that victims’ voices are not only heard but truly understood. They work closely with the police, guide victims through the criminal justice process, and offer ongoing practical and emotional support to help keep people safe.

Today, we hear directly from someone who has lived through harassment and its devastating impacts. I want to express my sincere thanks to this individual for their courage in speaking out, and to the ISAC who continues to stand beside them every step of the way.

I still struggle to put everything into words. My life has changed beyond recognition. After my relationship ended, he kept coming back. He still had keys, and he’d let himself into the house whenever he pleased. He’d make excuses, saying he was getting something, but it happened far too often. I started putting tape on the door just so I’d know when he’d been inside. That’s how far things had gone.

I’d always suspected he watched me. He’d done it before, hiding a camera when we were still together. So, when I began feeling that same invisible presence again, I knew I wasn’t imagining it. One day, I looked up at the ceiling and the feeling hit me so hard – there was a camera coming from the loft. Set up carefully. Professionally. I remember feeling like the air had been pulled out of my lungs.

It didn’t end there. My phone began behaving like it wasn’t mine anymore. Bursting into life. Files deleting, files downloading - every night. Apps appearing that were used to extract data. It felt like he’d climbed inside my digital life after being forced out of the physical one.

My car was scratched. My gate padlock cut. Someone dragged things around my garden. A security camera I tried to put up was cut off the fence. All intimidation, all timed for when I was at work because he knew my shifts. I stopped even storing my rota on my phone out of fear he’d see it.

Months of documenting everything. Months of waking up afraid to check my phone, afraid to check my car, afraid to go home after dark. I feel watched even when I’m alone. I feel foolish sometimes, weighed down by evidence that never feels like enough.

All I want is peace. To wake up one morning and not feel like I’m being hunted. To feel like my life is my own again. And I’m determined to get it, this will not beat me, I will get through this.

Harassment and stalking are not isolated incidents or misunderstandings - they are patterns of behaviour that erode a person’s safety, dignity, and freedom. Too often, victims carry these experiences alone, unsure if they will be believed or supported. As Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, I am committed to ensuring their voices are not just heard but acted upon. This account reflects the reality faced by too many people and serves as a powerful reminder of why we must continue strengthening our response, improving the way we investigate these crimes, and providing victims with clear pathways to protection. Only by truly listening can we deliver the safety and justice they deserve.

No one should feel unsafe in their own home, monitored through their devices, or intimidated into silence. Harassment, stalking and all related offences have no place in our communities, and we will keep working relentlessly to prevent harm, pursue offenders, and restore victims’ sense of safety and peace.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner

Help and support

  • For more information from Dorset Police on stalking and harassment, including what to do if you are being stalked and how to report offences, visit https://orlo.uk/PVN2z
  • The National Stalking Helpline and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust also provide practical information to anyone who is currently or has previously been affected by harassment or stalking. Visit https://orlo.uk/nhPNT or call 0808 802 0300.
  • Protection against stalking works jointly with relevant agencies to increase awareness of stalking and harassment to ensure victims received all the protection and help they need to rebuild their lives and live free of fear. Visit https://orlo.uk/K8AMv or email info@protectionagainststalking.org.
  • Dorset’s Paragon team helps victims of domestic and sexual abuse, including stalking victims. Visit https://orlo.uk/peIHc or call 0800 032 5204.
  • Other support organisations include:

Confirmation Required