Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire Matthew Ellis has welcomed ongoing work to put the needs of victims first. 
Baroness Newlove, the national Victims’ Commissioner, will examine if agencies are complying with the Victims’ Code as well as looking at whether victims’ complaints are taken seriously and are properly represented in restorative justice schemes.
Mr Ellis set out a vision 12 months ago to put the needs of victims and witnesses at the heart of the criminal justice system in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
He asked his deputy, Sue Arnold, to oversee a review and reform of services on his behalf so that victims and witnesses are supported in ways that recognise their individual circumstances and needs better.
Mrs Arnold said: “The Victims’ Code gives victims a voice in court by allowing them to explain how a crime has personally affected them through reading a Victim Personal Statement.
“I thoroughly welcome Baroness Newlove’s plans to make sure the Code is used properly in Staffordshire and the rest of the country.
“In Staffordshire we are working to make the system fit the individual, rather than the person fit the system – one that treats victims with dignity and respect.
“Work is well advanced for a new victims’ gateway where one agency will take on the responsibility for providing a clearly mapped out support route for victims.”
New specialists will make sure vulnerable victims get the best possible support, it was announced last week. The network of 12 specialists, who will be accredited to the victims’ gateway, will offer help to victims who are vulnerable due to issues such as mental illness, domestic violence or hearing impairment.
Meanwhile, a new service to support domestic abuse victims at work is also being launched as part of the wider programme to transform victims’ services in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
