
Supporting Victims and Witnesses Strategy 2021 -2026
Supporting Victims and Witnesses Strategy 2021 -2026
The Ministry of Justice provides an annual grant to all Police & Crime Commissioners allowing them to decide how best to commission services that meet the needs of victims locally.
Victim Services funded by the Commissioner have continued to help victims cope and recover from the effects of crime and ensure that the criminal justice system centralises the needs and rights of victims.
The needs of victims of crime are a key priority within the South Wales Police & Crime Plan which:
- States the criminal justice system needs to have a clear emphasis on improving outcomes for victims of crime.
- Ensures the voice of victims is key in shaping service provision.
- Increases the use of restorative approaches to ensure the victims’ voice is heard
We have a duty to ensure that victims have the confidence to report crime, with the knowledge that they will be supported and updated throughout the investigation. We share a passion for early intervention and prompt, positive action. We are cooperating closely with other agencies and working to make the local Criminal Justice System efficient and effective, preventing crime and reducing reoffending.
Responding through detection, tackling criminals, arresting those who break the law and exploit people will always be important. But so is reducing the volume of crime committed, listening to the experience of victims, encouraging people to report and understanding individual needs and vulnerability.

The Victims Code of Practice
The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime lays out what happens from when a crime is reported through to what happens after a trial, if there is one. The Code of Practice explains what your rights are.
The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime is also available in Easy Read, Large Print and British Sign Language, as well as in a number of the most commonly spoken languages in England and Wales.

Who is a ‘Victim’ under this code? A victim is anyone that has suffered physical, mental, emotional harm or economic loss, as a direct result of the crime. This includes businesses, close relatives of someone who has been killed as a result of a crime, parents/guardians of victims under 18 years of age and nominated family advocates for victims with a mental impairment.
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When your rights are not met? If you feel that you have not received an acceptable standard of service or if you feel your rights under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime have not been met by South Wales Police, you can make a complaint online via South Wales Police website, calling 101, or by attending any of our public-facing police stations in person. More information on your rights can be found here: Understand your rights – Victim and Witness Information. |