Harassment and Stalking
Hi, I’m Katelyn. I head up Intertel’s BHIVES unit. If you’re being harassed, stalked, bullied, blackmailed, threatened or harmed by someone, even if you have no idea who they are, then get in touch. We can help.
BHIVES stands for Bullying Harassment Intimidation Victimization Extortion and Stalking. We're experts at handling these types of matters, and have successfully completed thousands of cases over the past 28+ years
25880 cases closed
(as at 5:09am on 31/01/2021)
What do BHIVErs actually do?
The BHIVES team includes experienced investigators, forensic examiners, project managers, technical specialists, intelligence analysts, accredited professionals and subject-matter experts specializing in relevant aspects of criminology, sociology, psychology, behavioural sciences and the law. We work as a team, but perform a variety of functions depending on the circumstances and requirements.
We’re digital hunters. Our cyber investigation specialists can trace, track, target, trap and take down stalkers, bullies, harassers, blackmailers, and other menaces who hide behind the “anonymity” of emails, social media, instant messages, mobile phones or the internet. | |
We’re super sleuths. Gathering, preserving, analyzing and interpreting evidence is what gets our forensic specialists out of bed in the mornings. They work alongside subject-matter experts and experienced case managers to build substantiated airtight cases. | |
We’re justice advocates. In-house and external specialists are in your corner and ready not only to help you defend and exercise your rights, but to help you get real justice and closure. Their job is only done when you’re able to put this all behind you, and move on with your life. | |
We’re truth warriors. Expert witnesses can provide compelling and credible testimony to aid the Court or adjudicator in understanding the significance of certain evidence, to uncover the truth and ultimately to reach the right decision, no matter how technical or complex the matter is. | |
We’re helping hands. Our entire team is behind you every step of the way, but nobody has your back more than our support staff. They’re your champions over here, making sure that you get the assistance you require, that you get regular feedback and that you have access to the professional and personal support you need to get through this. |
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Who is harassing who?
You can be fairly certain that the person harassing you is not a stranger. That only happens in about 1 out of 500 cases. It is almost always someone who was (or still is) closely associated with you. Someone that you know. Perhaps even someone that you trust. At least 9/10 cases have something to do with “matters of the heart”. The harasser could be a jilted lover, rejected suitor, fanciful hopeful, infatuated obsessor or, in very rare cases, a delusional erotomaniac. Here’s a breakdown of who we found to be behind 2000 of our most recent cases:
DEFINING WHO’S WHO…
| Ex-PartnerA person with whom you once had a romantic or sexual relationship and regular companionship | ColleagueA person with whom you work. It may be a co-worker, subordinate or employee. |
| Other PartnerA person, besides your partner, with whom you have a romantic or sexual relationship | Partner’s Other PartnerA person, besides yourself, currently in a romantic or sexual relationship with your partner |
| Partner’s Ex-PartnerA person with whom your partner once had a romantic or sexual relationship and regular companionship | OtherThis refers to everyone else including relatives, friends, acquaintances and strangers |
Why do they harass?
When confronted, harassers seldom open up about the real reasons for their actions. They tend to offer up excuses in an attempt to justify their behaviour. Some will play down the seriousness of the matter, suggesting that the victim has overreacted or that it was only a joke. Some will go even further and blame the victim or claim to be the true victim in the situation. What is clear, from our analysis of past cases, is that the intention is more often than not to bring about an end to the relationship between the victim and their current partner or companion. Some believe that with you (or your partner) out of the picture they’ll have the opportunity to fulfil their desire, for example, to rekindle a past relationship with you. Others seem more keen to make you miserable, possibly so that you’ll regret having dumped, rejected or ignored them. Here are a few more interesting facts we gleaned from studying the most recent 2000 cases we solved:
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Help! I’m being harassed, stalked, bullied, …
Some people will tell you just to ignore the situation, and that it will probably just blow over. Are they wrong? Possibly not. There’s definitely a chance that they’re right, but its slim. Very slim in fact. Out of 2000 cases we studied, only 37 cases resolved themselves before we identified the culprit and put an end to the harassment. The fact is that 99.8% of the people engaging in harassment are doing so for a specific (and, to them, an important) purpose. It isn’t something that they’re doing out of boredom or as a prank (that’s the other 0.2%). They’re doing this because they want to upset you, disturb you, or control you, and they’re invested in it. Handled incorrectly, the situation is could quite easily escalate. At best, the harassment may become more frequent or more abusive. At worst, it could spill over into other areas of your life, upsetting those closest to you, affecting your relationships, causing you professional embarassment and reputational harm or posing a credible threat to your safety and security. So what is the best way to handle such a situation? There are a number of options depending on the circumstances…
Handle it yourself
There’s no reason why you couldn’t handle it yourself – that is, if you have (or have access to) the appropriate skills, experience, knowledge and resources to handle it effectively. Remember that taking the law into your own hands could quite easily result in criminal charges or a civil claim against you. You should never take any action against the person until you’ve discussed the matter (and presented all your evidence) to an attorney or prosecutor
Get professional help
Getting help doesn’t mean giving up control of how the situation gets handled. It means having the resources, knowledge and experience necessary to accomplish the goals you’ve set. We can either handle things for you; we can help you handle it yourself; or we can walk you through the other options – whatever the case, we’d be there for you every step of the way.
Open a criminal case
If the harassment is of such a nature that it would constitute a criminal offense, for example, criminal harassment, intimidation, crimen injuria, extortion or defamation, then opening a criminal case is a must. Whether or not you desire police investigation of the matter, you have a legal and civic responsibility to report crime.
Other legal options
The Protection from Harassment Act enables victims of harassment to obtain a Protection Order at any hour of the day, even if the identity of the perpetrator is not known. Depending on the specific nature of the harassment, a victim may have other recourse under law, or may be entitled to additional protection. It is advisable to speak to a legal practitioner for clarification.