Police and Crime Commissioner delivers multi-million pound service for victims of crime in Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has launched a multi-million pound service for victims of crime.

The Victim Care Hub, designed and funded by the Commissioner, is a brand new approach to supporting victims across the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary area.

Four Victim Care Hubs have been embedded in police stations geographically spread across the two counties bringing policing and support for victims under one roof for the first time.

The Hubs provide emotional and practical support to victims and will guide them through the criminal justice process, enabling the police to focus on frontline duties and reduce demand on the 101 service.

The service, delivered by national charity Victim Support was unveiled at a launch event on Tuesday 27 February.

The innovative new approach reaffirms the Commissioner’s ambition to deliver the best possible service to victims of crime in line with the Victims Code. Victims will be able to receive emotional and practical support and information such as case updates, coordinated victim care, options for restorative justice, and support throughout the process of reporting a crime and seeing it through the criminal justice processes.

The Victim Care Hubs are open to anyone of any age at any time, and victims do not have to report to police to access the service. The support is open to anyone who needs help to cope and recover from the impact of crime, including family and community members.

The PCC has commissioned the service because she recognises that it is essential victims receive the right support and information at the right time irrespective of whether they have reported to the police, when the offence occurred or when they feel ready to address the trauma they have experienced.

The hubs are staffed by Victim Support teams and specialist support from providers commissioned by the PCC who focus on providing bespoke support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual crimes, as well as support for children and young people.

The hubs are based in the largest police stations across the two counties:

• Newport Police Station on the Isle of Wight
• Eastern Police Investigation Centre in Portsmouth
• Western Police Investigation Centre in Southampton
• Northern Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke

PCC Donna Jones said: “As Commissioner, I am committed to finding ways to improve the police service for those living in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight. From the thousands of conversations I have had with the public it was clear to me I needed to overhaul the approach to victim care. Not only to ensure victim’s rights are met, but to also fulfil my mandate to the public by increasing police effectiveness by reducing the demand on officers and the 101 service to provide updates to victims, and putting that care in the hands of specialist professionals.

“The criminal justice service can be complex and victims need a guiding hand to help them navigate the process easily. This new model will help free up officer time by reducing calls to 101 and time spent by police officers answering queries, and by assisting victims with investigation updates.

“The co-location of the services is key. The hubs are in police stations, staff are working alongside police officers and Witness Care Units. This will allow for greater collaboration and deliver my vision of a whole system approach to help victims cope and recover, and truly places victims at the heart of justice.”

Rebecca Chaplain, Area Manager for Hampshire and Isle of Wight at Victim Support, said: “We are thrilled to be delivering this much needed service for victims of crime in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This funding will allow us to build on the support we offer locally to include those aged under four.

“By working more closely with the police, we can ensure that victims receive regular updates on their cases. We also want victims to know that, as an independent charity, they can access our services regardless of whether or not they have reported to the police. We look forward to working closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner, alongside other local charities, to deliver the best possible support to victims.”

Funding

The Commissioner has provided £850,000 per year from Feb 2024 to March 2029. The money has been allocated from the annual Ministry of Justice Victim’s Core Grant Fund budget which forms part of the overall Commissioning budget.

What was in place before the Victim Care Hub? 

 The Victim Care Service was in place before the Victim Care Hub and it provided free, independent and confidential support to anyone aged 4 years and above who had been a victim of, or affected by crime. It was not co-located in police stations.

How is this better?

• The Victim Care Hub (VCH) builds on the offer of support previously provided by the Victim Care Service, including extending the offer of support to those under 4.
• If victims have chosen to report to the police, the new service will be able to support victims through the criminal justice process and stages of their investigation because they will have a police staff link to assist them.
• The VCH can also help victims going through the criminal justice process with special measures applications.
• Co-location with specialist commissioned service providers and Witness Care units will allow for greater collaboration.
• The purpose of the VCH is to improve the experience of victims.
• The new model should also help to free up officer time by reducing calls to 101 and time spent by police officers answering queries, and by assisting victims with investigation updates.
• Victim Care Hub staff will not have access to police records, instead dedicated police staff members will work alongside the hub teams to connect hub staff to crime reports.

Victim journey explained

Those seeking support can access the Victim Care Hub by self-referring, or will be offered support automatically after reporting a crime the police.

Police journey: Victims of crime will be referred into the Victim Care Hub by Automated Data Transfer (ADT) and within 24 hours both a text and email offer of support will be sent to all referrals. Those entitled to an enhanced service under the Victims Code of Practice (VCOP) will also receive a telephone offer of support within 24 hours.

For non-enhanced referrals if the victim accepts the offer of support made by text/email a call will be made within 24 hours to provide any information and support required, if appropriate a needs assessment will be undertaken to identity any needs and agree a support plan. They will be guided through updates on their investigation and will also offer practical and emotional support over the phone in relation to their crime, or put them in touch with a specialist commissioned support service if they need it, for e.g. an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA).

Staff within a hub are specially trained to identify vulnerability and risk through engaging with victims of crime and undertaking risk and needs assessments. From this location, victims are able to receive emotional and practical support and information such as case updates, coordinated victim care, options for restorative justice, and support throughout the process of reporting a crime and seeing it through the criminal justice processes.

Self-referral: Victims of crime can also access support by referring themselves, just by phoning, emailing or visiting the website.

Telephone:  0808 178 1641

Email: hub.hiow@victimsupport.org.uk

Website: www.hampshireiowvictimcare.co.uk