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HomeDorset NorthCrime & Punishment - Dorset NorthDorset PCC First In Country To Award Local Victims Contract

Dorset PCC First In Country To Award Local Victims Contract

Victim Support has been commissioned by the Dorset Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to provide an enhanced service to the county’s victims for the next three years. The contract will commence on 1 October 2014. Martyn Underhill is the first PCC in the country to commission a local service for victims.

The independent charity for victims and witnesses of crime will continue to provide confidential support and free advice until 2017 with a new and innovative approach to the service. It will include a 24hr helpline for victims of crime and additional support for victims of antisocial behaviour and business crime. The size of the Victim Support team in Dorset will also double.

Dorset PCC Martyn Underhill said: “This new contract is really exciting and is a step change for services locally. The contract will bring new victim categories into the support network, such as victims of business crime and low level anti-social behaviour. This is really exciting and will help my team and Dorset Police comply with the new Victim Code. The contract also sees new software and increased staffing to deliver new and enhanced services with other partners, including the Dorset Victims Bureau. This contract brings Dorset solutions to our victims and is the first contract in the country to be awarded. I pledged to see fewer victims in Dorset and so far we have delivered that. I also pledged to increase support to our victims. This new contract goes a long way to achieving that.”

Rhiannon Evans, Victim Support Divisional Manager for Dorset, said: “We are delighted to have been asked to provide this new and improved service to victims of crime in Dorset. Victim Support is very pleased that this new contract gives us the opportunity to provide a more enhanced service to victims and to reach out to many more victims than we have been able to in the past.  We know from helping thousands of victims and witnesses across Dorset every year how often people affected by crime need help to move on and this new service will give them the practical and emotional support they need. We look forward to working closely with the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner, the new Dorset Victims’ Bureau and our partners in other charities across the county to help victims find the strength to cope and recover.”

Victim Support is the independent charity for victims and witness of crime in England and Wales. Last year it offered help to more than 1 million victims of crime and supported more than 200,000 witnesses as they gave evidence at criminal trials through its Witness Service. It also provides the Homicide Service supporting relatives bereaved by murder and manslaughter and runs more than 100 local projects. It is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary.

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