PCC Blog: Victims are at the Heart of Everything I Do

The majority of support services for victims which were traditionally provided by the Ministry of Justice are now provided at a local level by Police and Crime Commissioners.

The transition process towards locally-provided services is well underway here in Gwent and my team and I have been engaged in comprehensive discussions and consultations with a range of partners in the community to shape how victims' services will look and be delivered from now on.

I continue to put victims at the heart of everything I do and I have introduced a new approach this month, known as the Community Remedy, which enables victims of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) to have more of a say in the punishment of their offender. The Community Remedy provides a list of the out-of-court options which can be presented to a victim by a Police Officer so they can choose how an offender can be dealt with when they commit low level and minor crimes or ASB.

Looking to the future, I'm currently in the process of establishing a Victims' Hub for Gwent which will act as a focal point for all victims who require support. I have already agreed with Victim Support, who currently provides victims' services in Gwent, to expand the types of victims cases they deal with.

And staying on the topic of victims, I was pleased to work with the Welsh Government in support of Hate Crime Awareness Week this month. The Deputy PCC met with Muslim leaders at the Jamia Mosque in Newport and Gwent Police held a number of Roadshows throughout the week to encourage more people to report these crimes. With funding from the Welsh Government, I have also been able to support an event this week, which will be attended by my Deputy, which aims to specifically highlight hate crime and how to report it.

I was delighted to announce the 40 projects in Gwent which successfully applied to my Partnership Fund for a share of nearly £157,000 in cash seized from criminals last month. Each project funded will contribute to delivering my priorities for Gwent and it's fitting to see money recovered from criminals going back to benefit local communities. I'm looking forward to visiting some of these projects soon.

I launched my 'Have Your Say' survey this month, asking residents how much they are willing to pay for their policing service, for their feedback on my police and crime priorities and how much they value the reopening of a number of police stations. The consultation will run until Sunday 30th November 2014. To complete the survey visit http://bit.ly/gwentpccyoursay