Member

Sadly, the woman in my case was not caught, mainly because no one moved until after she had gone. My concerns are that we need the full panoply of protection for vulnerable members of our community, who often experience much more than any of us can see or understand. This will also, by the way, assist the police in trying to do their difficult job. In practical terms, this means that the police must be able to record incidents that may not amount to a criminal offence, because in many cases it is the course of conduct—that is the phrase used in the business—that together amounts to harassment or other offences. If the police cannot do that, they would find it almost impossible to get enough evidence to charge someone with, for example, antisemitic or racially aggravated harassment, or even stalking. I really hope that the noble Lord is prepared to withdraw his amendment and that we can have a sensible debate about where some of the boundaries are with freedom of speech and damage to individuals.