ARTICLE

A volte‐face in US public figure threat assessment?

Park Dietz and colleagues, in their ground breaking two 1991 papers on inappropriate communications and approaches to celebrities and members of Congress, did not comment on the mental states of those involved. However, their data, in the lengthy 1989 Dietz and Martell report to the National Institute of Justice, majored on the presence of mental illness and the importance of warning signs. Dietz and Martell now say, in a commentary on the latest FRG publication that the bulk of the Report was never published because of concerns by security agencies and that his efforts to get data on certain cases to further his research were rebuffed by the US Secret Service, which then initiated its own study.

The last reference is clearly to Fein & Vossekuil’s Exceptional Case Study, which dismissed mental illness and threats as significant factors in assassination and near‐assassination cases, choosing instead to emphasise the importance of behavioural policing methods
(Article 2). This was in spite of the high prevalence both of mental illness and of indirect threats in their sample. Fein and Vossekuil’s paper has been highly influential in US threat assessment circles. Dietz and Martell’s comments in their new article are an unequivocal rejection of this position: “Every instance of an attack on a public figure by a lone stranger for which adequate information has been made publically available has been the work of a mentally disordered person who issued one or more pre‐attach signals in the form of inappropriate letters, visits or statements…” These comments are in tune with findings of the Fixated Research Group in the United Kingdom.

They also reflect the reality on the ground in terms of threat assessment and management by the US Secret Service and the Capitol Police Threat Unit. But they are something of a slap in the face of what had, at least until recently, been the conventional wisdom in the USA for the last decade.

Home Secretary praises FTAC

STALKING SHOULD BE TREATED AS A PRIORITY

Stalking must be treated as a serious issue and should be a priority, Home Secretary Theresa May said today at the first joint national conference to combat stalking.

The Home Secretary outlined that efforts to tackle stalking form a key part of the cross-government vision to end violence against women and girls. The government has already committed to:

• Working with industry and partners to look at how to tackle cyber stalking;
• Supporting the national tackling stalking helpline which provides vital support for victims;
• Ensuring consistent support for victims through a series of regional road shows police force, crown prosecution service and charities to share best practice;
• Learning from the specialist stalking unit – Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) – which assesses threats and risks for high profile individuals; and
• Supporting the work of dedicated officers in each police force with responsibility for stalking and harassment cases.

Home Secretary Theresa May said:

“Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime and many victims suffer in silence and fear for years – this has to stop.

“We must ensure that it is treated as a serious crime and take every step necessary to prevent needless suffering and distress. This is why efforts to tackling stalking form a key part of our vision to end violence against women and girls.

“This is a complex issue that will not be solved overnight but this conference marks the first step of a commitment that will see stalking treated with the importance it deserves and individuals, the police, charities and others working together to tackle this problem.”

Stalking is a complex and devastating crime. In the last year more than 1.2 million women and nearly 900,000 men were affected by stalking. Many victims experience more than 100 incidents before reporting them to the police. Nearly one in five women experience stalking at some point in their lifetime and one in 10 men.

FTAC included in new Home Office stalking action plan

Today, a new policy document was published by HM Government, entitled Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls: Action Plan. In the section on stalking, its actions include the following:

“26. Learn from how the Fixated Threat Assessment
Centre (FTAC) operates to see how its methods of
investigation of stalking cases could be applied to
mainstream policing.
FTAC is a specialist unit that has developed considerable
expertise in the risk assessment and management of stalking of
high profile individuals, such as members of the royal family and
politicians. The unit brings together police work with
psychiatric assessments. We are looking to capture their
learning and use their techniques more widely. This will include
consideration of programmes for perpetrators which focus on
their offending and issues relating to their mental health.
Dept: HO
Timing: Paper for ACPO WorkingGroup in autumn 2011

and

29. Learn from how police forces in other countries
respond to VAWG and work with our police partners
to consider how effective approaches might be applied
in England and Wales.
…..
We will also learn from the pioneering work taking place in
Melbourne to tackle stalking. We will work with FTAC to
consider how this approach might be applied in England
and Wales.
Dept: HO
Timing: Ongoing”

The full reference is:
HM Government (2011) Call to end violence against women and girls. Action Plan. London: Cabinet Office. ISBN: 978-1-84987-429-8.
The document can be accessed at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/call-end-violence-women-girls/vawg-action-plan?view=Binary

FTAC wins diversity award

FTAC has won an award for diversity in the Metropolitan Police Total Policing Awards.

This was presented to FTAC staff at a special ceremony in central London by the Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.

This is the second award that FTAC has one, the previous one being a National Award for Policing Excellence, received in 2009.

For more details, see:-
(http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/10980002.Mental_trust_wins_award_for_innovative_scheme/?ref=rss)

International Handbook of Threat Assessment published

The International Handbook of Threat Assessment has been published by the Oxford University Press.

Edited by Reid Meloy and Jens Hoffman, this promises to be the state-of-the-art text for some years to come.

A chapter in the book gives the most detailed account yet published of the work of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre.

A copy of this chapter can be accessed from the list of FTAC publications elsewhere on this web-page.

The reference for the chapter is:-
James, D.V., Farnham, F.R. & Wilson, S.P. (2014) The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre: Implementing a joint policing and psychiatric approach to risk assessment and management in public figure threat cases. In: J. Reid Meloy & J Hoffman (eds.) International Handbook of Threat Assessment. New York: Oxford University Press.

Queensland FTAC begins operations

The Queensland Police and the Queensland Forensic Mental Health Service have set up a Fixated Threat Assessment Centre for the State of Queensland, an initiative led by Dr Michele Pathé, a member of the Fixated Research Group.

Further details of the service can be found at:-
http://www.mhrt.qld.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/QFTAC-brochure-original.pdf

Stalking Risk Profile Training Workshop to be held in London in May

The two lead authors of the Stalking Risk Profile (SRP, Dr. Rachel MacKenzie and Dr. Troy McEwan, will be leading a two-day training workshop in its use in London on 28-29th May 2014.

The SRP is a leading clinical tool in the assessment and management of risk in stalkers. These workshops are held only once a year. Further details can be found at:

https://www.stalkingriskprofile.com/products/courses/london-uk-13-14-june-2013

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