Smart Solutions for Victims of Crime

Every year Victim Support offers its services to around 30,000 victims of crime.  They have witness rooms in 6 courts across Northern Ireland and last year supported over 7,000 witnesses as they gave evidence in trials.  In the same year Victim Support advice workers helped over 2,000 victims of crime successfully claim £4.5 million in criminal injuries compensation. Victim Support volunteers together dedicate the equivalent of 30 full time members of staff.  Annually their expertise, time and dedication adds value of £500, 000 pounds to the Justice sector.

Victim Support help people affected by crime on a daily basis. Their expertise and experience tells them that the impact of crime is unique to the person and may be psychological, physical, financial or social.  Someone’s home may been burgled or their car stolen, they may have been physically attacked or had someone they love killed and in every situation Victim Support staff and volunteers listen, understand and know how best to assist the person to deal with how they are feeling.  They aslo provide crucial help for victims of crime to interact with what can often appear to be an uncaring criminal justice system. 

The services provided by Victim Support are important to communities because the consequences of crime reach deep into society.  Every crime has immediate victims but it can have consequences for many more people – family members, friends, neighbours, witnesses and the community as a whole.

Victim Support is all about local people helping other local people. Crime challenges a person’s trust in their community and Victim Support volunteers who give freely of their own time, help to rebuild that trust.   

Victim Support says "Our ultimate aim is to develop an EU-wide Manifesto for Victims and Witnesses of Crime.  This year we moved towards this goal by preparing a Manifesto for Northern Ireland. Ultimately, our work is not about being ‘nice’ to victims.  It is about helping people to cope with the trauma of crime and regain their self confidence.  It is also about creating conditions which give victims of crime more belief in the Criminal Justice System, so that more crimes are reported to the police, more witnesses come forward and there are more successful prosecutions.  It follows that society as a whole will benefit. "