Here to help the victims of crime (From The Argus)

Here to help the victims of crime

1:21pm Friday 9th March 2007 in

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Victim Support Sussex is a charity that supports any victim of, or witness to, crime across the region.

We are affiliated to National Victim Support and adhere to national standards and best ways of working but are a separate charity and have to fund-raise locally to support services.

We advocate and campaign for victims and witnesses on a local and national level.

I feel I should explain the work Victim Support does, as some readers might not know exactly what it entails.

When a crime - excluding some vehicle and business offences - is committed, we will contact the victim unless they have requested us not to.

Many people, while they may be upset by a crime, do not require additional support beyond what is already available and a letter from us may be the only contact they ever have with the charity.

However, for more vulnerable people, those with limited support or those requiring specialised support, we will allocate a trained volunteer to help them and anyone else affected until they no longer require us.

Support can be practical, such as helping to get locks replaced, referring someone for counselling, helping with insurance or criminal injuries forms, checking with police on the progress of the investigation and so on.

But support always has an emotional element, which is often the most important part.

Talking to a person about how they feel - helping an elderly robbery victim feel safe going to the shops again, a young man go out or a single mum feel safe in her home after a burglary - is the bread and butter of what we do. Our volunteers are skilled in supporting victims of domestic violence or sexual crimes, those affected by homicide and young people affected by bullying and other crimes.

We regularly support victims who have not reported a crime to the police.

This is often the case with domestic violence, bullying and hate crime.

Anyone who has suffered a crime can contact us without ever contacting the police. Our service is completely confidential and we will not pass on information, apart from in exceptional circumstances such as child protection.

We also support witnesses in court.

Having given evidence as an expert witness, I am only too aware of how challenging and intimidating court can be.

We have witness support offices in every court and will help any witness, prosecution or defence, who needs it.

This may involve providing a quiet or secure place to wait, a private entrance for vulnerable or intimidated witnesses or a chance to be shown round the court prior to the hearing.

We routinely support young people and those using screens to prevent their identities being known or the court video link. We know supporting witnesses and helping them feel as confident as possible helps them provide the most accurate account of what they have to say, thus facilitating justice.

Victim Support is a highly skilled, empathic and professional charity with a committed workforce of paid staff and volunteers.

The services we provide are free and we have a strong ethos of equal opportunities.

Last year, we had almost 40,000 referrals to our community offices and in the courts we supported almost 8,000 witnesses.

We regularly liaise with the police, including training officers to work with victims.

We also work with crime reduction partnerships, community safety teams, councils, the courts and many other organisations we share common aims with.

I know the support we provide to victims is vital to ensuring they recover and move on from an experience of crime.

And I know we help witnesses do their best in court.

One person Victim Support has helped said: "Because we were in a state of shock, we soon realised we needed someone to talk to.

"I do not know how we could have ever got by without the help of my caseworker.

"We do not speak every week but I know I can give her a ring if I am having a traumatic time.

"I would advise anyone who has been a victim of crime or been affected by crime to get in contact with Victim Support."

We receive funding from the Home Office via our national office but also have to fund-raise to provide our services.

We have a tight budget so are always looking for funds, fund-raising opportunities and volunteers.

We provide full training and I would be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to support us and victims and witnesses in Sussex.

For more information, call 01273 422090.