(a)

Dr Jacki Tapley (Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth)  had been commissioned to write the report in order that care and services for victims could be improved;

(b)

the report was very positive, and had been commissioned to provide the learning points and recommendations around police officer awareness and skills around victim care;

(c)

work was now under way between the OPCC, Devon & Cornwall Police and the Victim Care Network to implement the full range of recommendations contained within the report to ensure that victim services and victim care in Devon and Cornwall remain the best in the UK.

In response to questions, the Panel were advised that -

(d)

the PCC had commissioned a range of work to investigate looking across the whole of the witness and victim experience of the wider criminal justice system;

(e)

the service that had been delivered before the creation of the Victim Care Unit had been extremely uneven, and in some parts of the Force area this had been provided by PCSOs, without the knowledge and ability to pass through victims to where specialist and generic services could be provided;

(f)

Devon & Cornwall had a very strong Victim Care Network with 82 organisations able to offer a range of support that victims could choose from;

(g)

the PCC aimed to look at the Victim’s Strategy (with the Chief Constable) by September and aimed to introduce the online ‘Track my Crime’ service by the end of the year;

(h)

the service was being re-launched both within the Police Force and externally to highlight the work they do and the support offered.