Diana Lamplugh: Victims feel at fault

The Home Office evaluation has shown that more work needs to be done to train officers dealing with such cases.

Home Office minister Charles Clarke said: "Harassment can have a devastating effect on people's lives - it is something that must be tackled."

Anti-stalking guide

The Stalking Investigation Guide has been written by Detective Inspector Hamish Brown. It gives officers guidance on how to deal with harassment offences and give advice to victims.

He visited police in the US to see how they deal with the problem.

"Waiting outside someone's home and where they work, following them up and down the street - that sort of behaviour can amount to harassment and it is important the police appreciate that," said Mr Brown.

"People feel that it is only celebrities affected. But the overwhelming majority of victims are the ordinary people in the street."

Women's support groups have welcomed the release of the guide.

Diana Lamplugh, the mother of murdered estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, said: "It is about getting the police to fully understand what the laws mean and how they should work.

"The victims will come forward much quicker. At the moment they are made to feel stupid and they wonder if it's their fault.

"If the police take it very seriously early on there can be an early intervention and sometimes the stalker can be made to stop."