Victim Support challenges new Mayor’s Office to take a lead on victim-centred policing
Published: 16 January 2012
- Date:
- 16 January 2012
The Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime replaces the Metropolitan Police Authority
Victim Support has challenged the new Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC) to use its new duty to “obtain the views of victims” to deliver meaningful change to victims’ experiences.
Victim Support is keen to ensure the new office, which replaces the Metropolitan Police Authority today, make the most of the opportunity to improve the capital’s criminal justice system.
As a result of a law passed last year, the MOPC now has responsibility for scrutinising the police and deciding their priorities, and a new legal duty to consult victims. This means London could lead the way towards a new victim-focused policing.
The challenge for the MOPC is huge. Victim Support highlights the size of the job facing the Mayor and his team:
- London victims are less than half as likely as those in Northumbria to be offered the chance to make a formal statement about how the crime affected them personally
- the Mayor’s own research shows women are more likely to be victims of violence in London but less likely to see their attackers successfully prosecuted than anywhere else in the country
- nationwide, fewer than half of victims (48%) feel that the police are doing a good job, compared to 59% of non victims, and are nearly 20% less likely than non-victims to feel confident in the police. Contact with Victim Support is shown to improve victims’ confidence and satisfaction with the police significantly
Jeff Gardner, Victim Support’s Director for London said: “We welcome the potential for victims’ views to play a more central role in police strategy and will be watching closely to see how the MOPC delivers on its new duty to consult victims.
“Listening to victims’ needs is vital if we are to ensure the most appropriate services are in place to meet them. There needs to be a level of consistency, so that victims can access quality and value for money support, wherever they live.
“Victim Support seeks regular feedback from victims of crime in London, including rape and hate crime, to find out what they need from the police and support services.
“We are keen to share our knowledge with the MOPC and hope to use our experience and expertise to ensure that victims have the support they need.”