The Police Service of Northern Ireland has relaunched a two-minute parody video styled as a romantic comedy trailer. The film shows behaviours that start as a couple's interactions and then turn into stalking after the relationship ends. It runs during National Stalking Awareness Week from 20 to 26 April.

Stalking involves repeated unwanted contact that makes a victim feel distressed or fearful. No threat of physical violence is required for it to qualify as stalking. Police use the mnemonic FOUR: fixated, obsessed, unwanted, repeated.

Legislation criminalised stalking in Northern Ireland in April 2022. From then until 31 March 2026, police made 945 arrests, with 491 charges. Since October 2023, courts granted four Stalking Protection Orders to limit perpetrators' actions and safeguard victims.

Detective Superintendent Kerry Brennan stated that the public should recognise fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviour as stalking. She noted it occurs online or in person, by known individuals or strangers. Brennan described it as a crime that disrupts lives, not a love story, and said victims often face up to 100 incidents before reporting.

Brennan added that thousands of officers received specialist training on stalking reports. She advised keeping logs of all incidents, no matter how minor, and contacting police. Police can issue Stalking Protection Orders to stop contact, set exclusion zones or restrict social media posts about victims. Breaches count as criminal offences.

Police listed signs of stalking: unexpected visits to homes or workplaces, persistent calls, messages or social media contact, unwanted gifts, property damage, loitering near victims, contacting family or friends for information, identity theft or debt in victims' names, spyware or tracking.