The law, known as a Stalking Protection Order (SPO), aims to give greater protection to victims. Sussex Police became the first force in the country to enforce an SPO when the law came into effect in January last year. Since then it has seen 29 court orders used to protect victims, while seven more cases are still awaiting hearings. DCI Richards said: “These orders, which we seek from magistrates, have been an important development in helping us to better protect victims in stalking cases. “Subjects can be prohibited from contacting the named person on the order by any means, directly or indirectly. This includes contact in person, telephone calls, letters, emails, messages and social media.