PCCs to determine local victims' services
Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales will be given the power and budget to determine local victims' services.
Monday, 02 Jul 2012
Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales will be given the power and budget to determine local victims’ services, the Ministry of Justice announced today.
As well as being responsible for commissioning crime reduction and community safety services, Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will now also be in a position to commission a range of victims’ services. These will help individuals cope with and recover from the consequences of crime, ensuring that services meet local need, represent value for money and deliver real outcomes for victims.
Devolved funding
Nick Herbert Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice said: ‘The arrival of Police and Crime Commissioners will be the most significant democratic reform of policing in our lifetime.
‘How victims are treated is essential to maintaining public trust in policing and the criminal justice system.
‘That is why the government has decided that funding for a range of services will be devolved to democratically elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioners.
‘The needs of victims vary locally and PCCs, much more than central government, will be best placed to decide what their communities want.’
Setting policing priorities
PCCs will also be required to consult with victims in setting the policing priorities in their local area.
This will ensure that, for the first time, victims of crime have a clear role in determining what the police should focus on, and how.
While commissioning for a range of victims’ services will go to PCCs, the government will retain responsibility for commissioning services where there are either proven economies of scale or they are genuinely specialist in nature. This includes support for those bereaved through homicide, victims of trafficking, rape support centres and the witness service.
Further information
Information for partners, including local victims’ services, on how to work with your PCC.
How PCCs will commission services.