London’s Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE hosted London’s Victims Summit 2023 at City Hall this morning, bringing together victims of crime, community advocates and senior figures in criminal justice.
This was supported by Mayor Sadiq Khan who has announced a £3m annual fund to restructure how the Met Police treats victims of crime.
It will fund a free phone line for victims making it easier for them to access key information about their case and streamline their point of contact.
In an interview with SW Londoner, Waxman said: “What I’ve talked about today is the need for something more for victims because we have a very complex fragmented justice system.
“Victims are crying out for really just a single point of contact, one agency that takes them through and navigates the justice system with them and by their sides, that’s what’s needed.”
The announcement came as it emerged that one in three victims of crime in London was unsatisfied with the Met’s level of service, according to a report by the mayor’s office.
Khan said: “The more time you spend with victims, the more you appreciate the extent to which crime blights lives.
“It can be and often is a devastating, violating and traumatising experience.”
Waxman in her speech today proposed the idea of a hub, an entity that supports victims all the way through the criminal justice system to keep them informed and supported.
Waxman said: “Victims are left to navigate a convoluted and disjointed journey without the right information, support and often wait years for justice.”
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it would help put the victims’ voices at the “heart of everything we do.”
When asked about the growing rate of gender-based violence and violence against ethnic minority groups and whether this investment would highlight those problems more, Waxman said: “I hope so. I pivot back to this hub idea that would be very much there to represent all communities and make sure that they understand the needs of different communities.
“There is often a referral to a generic Victim Support Service, that doesn’t always meet the needs of victims and so, it needs to be much more tailored.”
