“While the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can never foretell what any one man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to.”

Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four, 1887.

MISSION

The FRG researches the risks posed to prominent people by individuals who harass, threaten and stalk them. By doing so, it aims to help improve mental health services to the individuals concerned, as well as aid in the protection of members of the public, prominent or otherwise, who come into contact with them.

INTRODUCTION

The FRG was set up in 2003 following a competitive research tender issued by the UK’s Home Office. It comprises a group of forensic psychiatrists and psychologists from the UK, Australia and the USA, who have expertise in the field of stalking.

Its members conducted research for the Home Office into the stalking and harassment of members of the British Royal Family, and into attacks on politicians. The group has published its results in ten peer-reviewed research papers in specialist scientific journals and one book chapter. Its recommendations led to the foundation of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC).

The FRG continues to engage in research into stalking and harassment, not just concerning prominent people and celebrities, but where the victims are ordinary members of the general public.

Three members of the FRG are co-authors of the Stalking Risk Profile, a ground-breaking structured professional judgement tool for the assessment of risk in stalking.