Victims’ rights

When talking to the police, you have the right to be
given information in a way that is easy to understand and be provided with support to help you understand. For example, this can include access to interpretation and translation services to have information translated into a language you understand. This right applies throughout all communicationand engagement you have with the police.

You have the right to have details of the crime recorded by police as soon as possible after the incident, without an unjustified delay. If you are required to provide a witness statement or be interviewed, you have the right to be provided with additional support to assist you through this process.

You have a right to be given information about the criminal justice system. This should include being told about programmes or services for victims. This includes restorative justice, where you can meet with the suspect or offender.

You have a right to receive written confirmation of the crime. Written confirmation should include basic details of
the offence, the crime number and contact details of the investigator dealing with your case.

You have a right to be offered support, to help you cope and recover from the impact of crime. You have the right to be referred to victim support services, and for services and
support to be tailored to meet your needs. If eligible, you have the right to be offered a referral to specialist support services and be told about additional support available at court, known as Special Measures.

We have a team of Victim and Witness Care Officers who work within our Lighthouse Safeguarding Unit, which supports victims who are going through the criminal justice system. If assigned to your case, they will contact you. Support might include practical advice, information, signposting or a referral to an appropriate support service.

Victims of crime have the right to receive information about compensation.

If you have been a victim of a violent crime you may be eligible for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. You can read about the scheme, eligibility and how to apply at Claim compensation if you were the victim of a violent crime on Gov.uk.

 

You have the right to be provided with updates on your case and be told when important decisions are taken, including, if possible, how to ask for a decision to be looked at again.

If your case is not going to progress to court (even if a suspect has been identified and interviewed) the investigator will explain the reasons for this. If you are unhappy with the explanation given, you have a right, in certain circumstances, to ask for this to be reviewed. You can discuss this with your officer in charge.

In addition to a witness statement, you have the right to make a Victim Personal Statement, which allows you to explain in your own words how the crime has affected you and is used by the court when sentencing the offender.
You will be given information about the process and be asked how you would like your statement to be used in court.

You do not have to make a VPS – it is voluntary. However, it is important you take the time to understand if you would like to provide a VPS, as this can help the court understand how the crime has impacted you physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially or in any other way.

You have the right to be kept up to date with what is happening in your case, such as the time, date and location of any hearing and the outcome of those hearings, whether the suspect has been released on bail or is being held in custody. If a court case takes place, a charged suspect is referred to as a ‘defendant’ within the court process.

If you are required to give evidence, you have the right to be offered help before the trial and, where possible, to meet with the prosecutor before giving evidence.

As a victim of crime, you may be asked to be a witness in court to speak about what has happened. If you have been called to court, your Victim and Witness Care Officer can make a referral to the Witness Service, run by the Citizens Advice Bureau. They can provide or arrange a pre-trial visit to the court, explain what to expect and support you at any court appearance.

Your Victim and Witness Care Officer will notify you of the result of the court case and, if the defendant is convicted, be given an explanation of the sentence and what this means. If a defendant is found guilty,
they may be referred to as an ‘offender’.

Sometimes the defendant/offender may appeal against the sentence or the conviction. This is when they ask for the judge’s decision to be changed or for the sentence to be reduced. If the offender appeals against their conviction or sentence, you have the right to be told about the appeal and its outcome.

If you are required to attend court and give evidence, you have the right to claim certain expenses. If any
of your property was taken as evidence, you have the right toget it back as soon as possible.

If you are required to attend court and give evidence, you have the right to claim certain expenses. If any
of your property was taken as evidence, you have the right toget it back as soon as possible.

In certain circumstances, you have the right to be given information about a defendant/offender following
a conviction. If eligible, you have the right to be automatically referred to the Victim Contact Scheme, who are able to provide you with information about the offender.

You have a right to be treated in a respectful, sensitive,
and professional manner by all the criminal justice agencies.

You have the right to complain if the services are not provided. We want to provide you with the best possible service and would like to give you the opportunity to tell us about the service you received, particularly if you think we could have done more. You can do this in three ways:

• On our website via our feedback page
• By calling us on 101
• By talking to us at your local police station

If you have been a victim of crime, we promise to:

• treat you with fairness, dignity and respect
• give you clear and relevant information about your case
• keep you informed about progress on your case
• tell you if we are not able to take the case forward for any reason

Once you have reported the crime, a police officer will be given your case. They will be your main point of contact and will give you updates at least once a month until the case is closed.

You will be given a crime reference number so we can quickly identify your case.

You are entitled to be informed of a decision:

• to prosecute the suspect
• to give the suspect an out of court disposal, such as any caution given by the police
• not to prosecute the suspect

A Victim Personal Statement (VPS) gives you an opportunity to explain in your own words how the crime has affected you, whether physically, emotionally, financially or in any other way.

The VPS is an official document that will become part of the file relating to your case. If you wish to make a VPS, please tell the officer dealing with your case or your allocated Witness Care Officer.

As part of the investigation, we look at all the information available including forensic and any visual or audio evidence.

If appropriate, we will send a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) to look for any useful forensic material, such as fingerprints or DNA. To find out more about Crime Scene Investigators have a look at the information on forensic service’s on the College of Policing website.

If you have been told a CSI is going to attend to examine your property (this may be your home, your car or your business) it is important not to touch or move anything.

If there are no immediate lines of enquiry, your case will be investigated with other, similar cases. Often, by identifying patterns and similarities within batches of crime we are able to find the offenders, recover stolen property and stop the problem.

When the police have finished their investigation, they can pass the information to Crown Prosecution Service who will decide if there is enough evidence to take the case to court.

If you do have to go to court to be a witness, a witness liaison officer will contact you to let you know.

Our liaison unit take care of victims from the point where someone is charged with the crime through to the end of the court case.

Special measures are options that are available to help vulnerable and intimidated witnesses to give their best evidence in court. If you would like to know further information, speak to the officer dealing with your case or the Witness Care Officer.

If you feel you need additional support following a crime, Lighthouse can help.

Lighthouse is a multi-agency team of Police staff and independent support organisations working together to provide information, advice and support to victims of crime. You can ask the officer dealing with your case about this service and they can arrange a referral.

Alternatively, you can visit www.lighthousevictimcare.org to find support available in your local area.

If you have been a victim of a violent offence, you may be eligible for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

To find out more, visit Criminal Injuries Compensation Guide.

There are times when the investigation will have to be closed. This happens when no further lines of enquiry are found and no further information is available. However, this does not mean that the case is forgotten.

If we receive further information at a later date, we will review your case and may be able to solve the crime.