LOCKDOWN could put stalking victims in Dumbarton and the Vale at greater risk, according to an expert on gender-based violence.

Dr Katy Proctor, a criminology and policing lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), has warned stalkers could target the homes of victims, track them remotely online, and are more likely to be “strengthened” by Covid-19 measures.

Dr Proctor said: “The response to COVID-19 does not stop stalkers nor other abusers, instead, it is more likely to strengthen them. Many would assume that a nationwide lockdown that restricts our movements would provide temporary respite to victims of stalking. Unfortunately, the complete opposite is true.

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“We know stalkers will use any means they can to communicate with their victims and we know that many engage in stalking through social media and other online forums.

“As Covid-19 has forced the whole world to live through laptops for work, socialising, entertainment, and shopping, the choice for victims becomes isolation or exposure.

“Neither option guarantees safety and neither option feels secure.”

Last year, a study by GCU found non-violent stalking can cause lasting psychological damage to victims and suggested it should be treated as seriously as domestic abuse by the courts.

A survey of 128 stalking victims found the actions of the stalker had an impact on all aspects of their lives, from their mental and physical health to employment and social life.

Almost nine in 10 victims (87 per cent) were stalked by someone who was known to them while around a third (34 per cent) were targeted by a partner or an ex-partner.