Crime victims ‘risk being abandoned’

VICTIMS of crime and witnesses in high-profile trials risk being ‘abandoned’ under controversial Government funding reforms, the head of a leading charity will warn today.

Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, will say that putting directly elected police commissioners in charge of funding for victims’ services is a recipe for chaos and could prove to be a ‘villain’s charter’.

Currently, £ 60million of taxpayers’ money is allocated every year to the charity and other organisations which support victims of crime and witnesses.

But plans announced by Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke will mean that charities will have to apply 41 times to the 41 police chiefs in England and Wales for cash – with no guarantee of success.

Mr Khan said: ‘The Government says it wants to put victims and witnesses first, but under these proposals victims of crime risk being abandoned.

‘In future, more public money will be wasted in a massive new bureaucracy, fewer witnesses may come forward and there could be a drop in prosecutions. These proposals could be a villain’s charter.’

The plans will also mean services are thrown open to private companies or other organisations which could bid for funding.

Money for specialised services, such as supporting relatives of murder victims, is expected to continue to be funded by the Ministry of Justice.

But the responsibility for funding the majority of services – including help with security and access to counselling – will be funded and determined locally.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘We spend £66million annually on victims and witnesses of crime.

‘Victims and witnesses deserve the bestquality help and by opening up support services to competition, we can ensure this happens.’