Police are failing to protect stalking victims in too many cases, a group of watchdogs has warned.

The head of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the chief inspector of constabulary and the boss of the College of Policing called on forces to take urgent action to improve the way they handle reports of stalking and support victims as they urged the Government to change the law to make it easier to prosecute the crime.

They even suggested using artificial intelligence (AI) to help officers spot the warning signs.

Around one in seven people aged 16 and over in England and Wales has been a victim of stalking at least once, figures suggest.

In a major joint report published on Friday, the watchdogs made a string of recommendations for improvement as they detailed the findings of an investigation launched in response to a so-called super-complaint raised two years ago by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust (SLT) on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium.

The complaint – made through a process which allows charities and other bodies to raise widespread problems which could affect public confidence in policing – set out concerns including how there had been flawed investigations, instances where stalking was not being properly identified, officers “minimising or trivialising” such behaviour and the risk of victims being seriously hurt or killed not being recognised.

The 159-page report said the watchdogs found “clear evidence” supporting the concerns raised and, despite examples of good practice, “in too many cases the police response was not good enough and victims were being let down”.

IOPC director general Rachel Watson said stalking victims needed to have “confidence to come forward, knowing they will be listened to and supported by those whose role it is to keep them safe” and while “change is happening”, she added: “Sadly, we also saw too many cases where police failed to recognise stalking or take the necessary steps to protect victims – and policing must act now to improve this.”

Chief inspector of constabulary Andy Cooke said the “seriousness of stalking should not be underestimated” and police forces “must do all they can to tackle it with the utmost urgency”.

He told reporters at a London briefing of “disappointing” examples found by the watchdogs including cases being closed when they should not be, police often not arresting suspects and sometimes “avoidable” delays in investigations.

Despite previous calls for improvement, he added: “It is concerning that we are still not seeing change as quickly as we should.”

Too often the probe uncovered “examples of the police not taking stalking seriously enough”, according to the report.

The watchdogs found it “especially concerning” that in some cases they reviewed police “had not identified risk of serious harm or homicide to a victim”.

Out of 470 case files reviewed during the investigation, there was a risk of serious harm or homicide to the victim in 297. But the watchdogs only found evidence that police had identified these dangers in 66 of these, showing police were “missing opportunities to identify the risks to stalking victims”, according to the report.

The use of stalking protection orders (SPOs), introduced in 2020 to ban perpetrators from approaching their victims, was “worryingly low” and rules should be simplified so police could make better use of them, they said.

In the year to March 2023, 116,792 stalking offences were recorded by forces across England and Wales and 531 SPO applications were granted at court, indicating the orders were only used in a “small proportion” of cases, according to the findings.

The watchdogs also reviewed cases where police officers and staff had “taken advantage of their position to pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship with a member of the public” which involved stalking behaviour but in most instances they were investigated for offences like misconduct in public office instead. The report said this meant the risk to the victim had not been “properly identified or managed” and the matter was not recorded as stalking.

Sir Andy Marsh, the chief executive of the College of Policing which oversees standards, said modern day police officers are faced with navigating a “blizzard of data” but AI could help them make “better” decisions and “spot stalking risks in cases at the earliest opportunity to allow offenders to be targeted and victims supported and protected from harm”.

Emma Lingley-Clark, the SLT charity’s interim chief executive, welcomed the findings, describing it as a “pivotal moment for police forces to demonstrate their commitment to improving the criminal justice experience and outcomes for victims of stalking”.

It is “not enough to just say we will do better, instead now we need to see a real commitment to preventing the numerous failures encountered by stalking victims”, she said.

London’s Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman said the report demonstrated the need for “urgent reform” so stalkers were brought to justice and victims were better protected as she called on the Government to overhaul legislation so there is a single offence which “recognises the severity and impact of this crime”.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on stalking, pledged to “improve and standardise the service victims receive”, adding: “We remain committed to doing everything possible to improve the policing response for victims of stalking.”

While the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it would continue to work with police to bring “robust” cases to court.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said the Government would “respond fully” to the report in due course, adding of the 29 recommendations: “We are already actively considering these, looking at how we can work with the police to overhaul how we respond to this crime and put more perpetrators behind bars.”