Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘Massive step forward’ in caring for crime victims
Centre brings support services under one roof to help the Cinderellas of the justice system
Police chiefs, charity representatives and politicians celebrated the official launch of a new victim support centre last Friday.
Compass House, in Tufton Street, Ashford – the town’s former magistrates’ court – has been transformed into a support centre for victims and witnesses of crime, the first of its kind in the country.
It it primarily run by the charity Victim Support but will incorporate other services – many voluntary – such as East Kent Rape Line and Family Matters.
Although based in Ashford, the centre will support victims from all over Kent.
Ann Barnes, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, welcomed guests to the launch, including Kent Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, Baroness Helen Newlove, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, and Mark Castle, Victim Support’s chief executive officer.
Mrs Barnes said: “When you are a victim of crime you are a victim twice. You’re a victim of the crime and you are a victim of the criminal justice system.
“I’m really worried that these victims and witnesses of crime tend to be the Cinderellas of the justice system. They’re the last people that people think about but they should be the first.
“Compass House is a place where trained staff and volunteers from the independent charity Victim Support now work under the same roof as the Kent Police Witness Care Unit.
“More victims of crime are being offered help, from rape victims to people who have suffered low-level criminal damage or bicycle theft.”
The centre has been funded by an £829,000 contract granted to Police Crime Commissioners by the Ministry of Justice.
Mr Pughsley said: “This is the first of a massive step forward for the best treatment of victims of the criminal justice system.
“It is the first step in a long journey.
“The aspiration has to be about working even more closely with our criminal justice partners so that all the different elements and stages through the victims’ journey are as seamless, joined up and painless as they possibly can be.”
For more information about Victim Support services, visit their website at www. victimsupport.org.uk.