Police are reinforcing the serious nature of malicious communications offences and the significant role they play in wider patterns of harmful behaviour, including domestic abuse, coercive control, harassment and stalking.
While malicious communications are often associated with offensive or abusive messages on social media, the reality can be broader and far more concerning, Cumbria police said.
The offences regularly form part of complex investigations involving ongoing victimisation, intimidation and control, frequently within domestic settings or ongoing disputes between individuals.
Over the past two years, Cumbria Constabulary said it had recorded 231 malicious communications offences linked to domestic abuse, which is said highlighted the overlap between digital abuse and real-world harm.
Malicious communications can include threatening or abusive messages, repeated unwanted contact, and sustained behaviour intended to cause distress or fear.
In many cases, these actions are not isolated but form part of a wider pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour, designed to manipulate or intimidate victims over time.
Cumbria Constabulary said it was committed to robustly investigating these offences and taking swift action to protect victims.
It includes:
- Actively pursuing offenders using digital evidence and investigative tools
- Working closely with victims to support them and build strong evidential cases
- Making arrests where offences are identified
- Using additional protective measures to safeguard those at risk
The force added that officers were also seeing the offences arise in contexts beyond domestic abuse, including neighbour disputes and ongoing harassment cases, where communication is used as a tool to escalate conflict or exert pressure.
Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Hannah, from the force’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Malicious communications are not just messages on social media, they can have a deep and lasting impact on victims.
“In many cases, they are a key indicator of wider abusive behaviour, including coercive control and stalking.
“We want to be clear that we take these offences extremely seriously. Our officers are proactive in identifying patterns of behaviour, gathering evidence and taking positive action, including making arrests where appropriate.
“These offences can be deeply distressing and isolating for victims. We encourage anyone experiencing this kind of behaviour to come forward – support is available, and we will take action.”
Police said they continued to work with partners and support agencies to ensure victims received the help they need and that offenders were held to account.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of malicious communications, harassment or domestic abuse is encouraged to report it.
