Stalking Victimization Among Police Officers

The purpose of this study was to assess nonprofessional and professional related stalking victimization in a selective sample of 542 Swiss police officers. The stalking lifetime prevalence rate was 5.2% (N 28). Four percent (n 22, 4.1%) were stalked by nonprofessionally related stalkers, and 1.1% (n 6) of the police officers were stalked for professional reasons. Lifetime stalking victimization among officers was 10% for women and 4% for men. Both groups showed more similarities than differences. A number of police officers were reluctant to inform their private and professional network about the stalking for various reasons, including embarrassment about stalking victimization. Only the minority of the stalking cases were officially reported to the justice system. Further implications are discussed.