Thousands of stalking crimes have been recorded in North Wales in recent years – but few victims will see their stalkers punished, figures suggest.

Home Office data shows police forces across England and Wales recorded nearly 100,000 stalking crimes in 2020-21.

Of those, 1,981 were investigated by North Wales Police.

The force has recorded 4,347 such offences since records began in 2014-15, including 954 between April and September last year – the latest available figures.

Nationally, 98,544 stalking offences were reported to police in 2020-21 – the first year of new guidance requiring all cases of harassment reported between ex-partners to be recorded as stalking, unless the police were satisfied stalking was not a factor.

In comparison, there were 33,006 stalking crimes the previous year.

The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for stalking and harassment, Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills, said improved police response, increased reporting and more understanding of the extent of stalking behaviour had contributed to the national rise in recorded crimes.

But the Suzy Lamplugh Trust says while recent changes in law and procedures may have influenced the stark rise, stalking remains significantly underreported.

In January 2020, the Government introduced Stalking Protection Orders, which place conditions on a stalker's behaviour and allow police to intervene early to protect victims.

DCC Mills said the NPCC was working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to improve criminal justice outcomes for victims, adding: "Stalking and harassment are serious crimes which can have a devastating effect on the lives of victims and their friends and family.

"The police service is committed to doing everything possible to bring offenders to justice."

A Home Office spokeswoman added: "The Government takes its response to stalking extremely seriously, and we have tripled our funding to the National Stalking Helpline, introduced SPOs and doubled the maximum sentence for stalking from five to ten years."

The spokeswoman said systems were being improved to enable frontline agencies to work together to prevent potential stalkers from harming people.