The Government has today launched a consultation (17th July) looking to strengthen the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code).
The Victims’ Code is a statutory document which sets out the minimum level of service victims can expect from criminal justice agencies, such as the police and courts. Chapter 4 of Victims Code sets out what business are entitled to when they are victims of crime, including:
- A named point of contact for all communication between the business and service provider, such as the police,
- The ability to make a business impact statement, and
- To confirm whether the business would like to have relevant parts of the Impact Statement read aloud in court.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We need greater recognition of businesses as victims of crime so that convenience retailers and their store colleagues get the support they need. Crime has a profound impact on its victims, whether they are people, businesses or communities.
“Our research revealed that only 40% of retailers who reported a violent incident to the police were made aware of the option to make an impact statement for business. It is important that those who are victims of crime, such as violence and abusive incidents, are made aware of their rights and the support that is available to them both as an individual and a business.
“We will be using this opportunity to push for stronger support for victims of crime.”
The proposals set out today include:
- Greater clarity around victims’ rights, including a right to be given information about the investigation and criminal proceedings and the right to make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS)
- Improved awareness that victims who do not report the crime or withdraw from the criminal justice process are entitled to the same support as those who do report it
- Development of short guidance to help victims to understand their rights under the Victims’ Code
- Creation of a guide for practitioners working in the criminal justice sector to help them understand and deliver their obligations within the Victims’ Code
- Revising the current categories for victims entitled to an enhanced service to make it simpler, with a greater focus on identifying and meeting the needs of the victim.
The consultation closes on September 11th, ACS will be responding to the consultation and will be seeking views from retailers.
The full consultation is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-revising-the-code-of-practice-for-victims-of-crime
GroceryAid’s Workplace Critical Incident Support service aims to support grocery colleagues who have witnessed or been involved in a traumatic incident at work, such as accidents at work, violent attacks, medical emergencies, robberies with a threat to life and the death of a colleague. For more information please visit: https://www.groceryaid.org.uk/get-help/workplace-incident-support/
