How can we provide the best support to people affected by crime?

In partnership with Victim Support Scotland, we sought views that would help us explore the ‘aftercare’ and referral process for individuals affected by crime in Scotland.

We carried out focus groups, depth interviews and a public survey which ran between 3^rd June and 31^st August 2021. These allowed us to gain views from our communities surrounding the Victim Care Card, the use of language in aftercare processes and potential opportunities for improvement.

All of this was done with the aim of enabling effective organisational responses which put the needs of individuals at the heart of what we do.

Our survey received 492 responses, 82% of these respondents had experienced crime in the last two years, either as a victim or a witness. Of these, 47% shared they had been a victim of crime, 15% had been a witness of crime and 20% had been both a witness and victim of crime. The most common type of crimes experienced were assault, harassment and threats - affecting 109 respondents.

Responses to our survey highlighted key themes and issues that need to be addressed to improve the aftercare system for people affected by crime. These were:

• Improvements to the Victim Care Card;
• Communication needs; and
• Use of language.

Victim Care Card

43% of respondents who had been a victim or witness of crime said they did not receive a Victim Care Card. 14% said they were offered the card and 5% could not remember.

It is important to consider that these findings were from a small number of respondents, therefore this does not necessarily reflect the experiences of everyone who has been affected by crime. However, responses still highlight main areas where we can drive change and improvement to ensure everyone affected by crime receives the best possible aftercare.

Respondents also highlighted that they would like to see changes to the formatting and layout of the card. Suggestions included:

• Providing more relevant information on the card;
• An inclusive and easy-read version for people who require further assistance; and
• An electronic version of the card – with up to date digital information easily accessed online. Over half (57%) of respondents said this would be ‘extremely helpful’ or ‘helpful’.

Communication needs

Our interviews and focus groups highlighted issues around communication between services and people who use them, with some participants not feeling supported in their aftercare journey. Some shared feelings of isolation, particularly because they were not kept up to date with developments in their case. Overall, responses show that people would like to see a more cohesive approach to the aftercare system, particularly with support following the reporting of a crime being seamless and connected.

Use of language

Another area for consideration was the use of language, particularly when handling incidents with people affected by crime. Many respondents did not want to be identified as ‘victims’, especially due to a perceived stigma associated with the term, and called for a change in the language used around being affected by crime. Consensus was not reached on what a better term might be, with many also not associating with the term ‘survivor’.

Ultimately, language was strongly associated with how people feel they are perceived. Respondents stated that they just want to be treated like a person who has experienced something awful – and get the best help possible from police and support services to reduce the wider impact on their lives.

Learning from the results of our work with our communities, we are taking the following actions:

• Review of the Victim Care Card and the process of issuing cards to people who experience crime.
• Review our aftercare policy which guides how police officers engage with people who have experienced crime directly, making best use of all referrals to organisations which meet people’s individual needs and circumstances.
• Utilise new digital capabilities which help us understand referrals in different areas, with focused initiatives to support referrals to victim support services and increase uptake in areas where this is lower.
• Engage public and third sector partners to ensure that findings from recent research on accessibility and formats of information provided by organisations is included in the steps we take.
• We will also share the findings from this work with the Scottish Government and other agencies.

Police Scotland’s Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division are now leading all of this work to make improvements in the way we do aftercare.

Early insights have already been shared and discussed at a bi-annual event between Victim Support Scotland and Police Scotland. Results have also been shared with Police Scotland’s Strategic Leadership Board (which is where all Assistant Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Officers and the Chief Constable discuss important issues for the organisation each month).

A full report will also be shared at Police Scotland’s next Public Confidence Governance Board later in 2021 and reported in the Quarter Three report to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee (this is publicly available and more information is available on the SPA website).