100 signatures reached
To: UK Home Office and Police Forces
Improving Communications and Investigations for Victims of Crime
At present, there is no evidence that the police forces in the UK or the Home Office are giving priority to initiatives for improving communication and support for victims of crime. Indeed, there is newspaper coverage on a regular basis of instances where victims of crime have been failed by the police authorities. We think it is about time something was done about this. Please sign our petition if you agree and want to see things change to give priority to communicating with and helping victims of crime to ease their plight in the face of whatever crime they have been victim to.
Why is this important?
Every year millions of crimes take place in the UK and the impact of a crime is long lasting for victims. Becoming a victim of crime is a highly distressing time. The Police do their best to provide a professional and caring service during an investigation, but their efforts are limited by the technology and other resources currently at their disposal. Victims are often left wondering what is happening and whether anyone is taking their case seriously. Improving the communications and connections between investigating officers and victims of crimes is very much needed.
Every day technology could be used very effectively to achieve this by providing a means for victims and investigating officers to keep in touch and up to date. Something as simple as a mobile phone app could be used to give victims and witnesses a better experience, keeping them up to date on progress and allowing them to communicate more effectively with the Police. Being able to message the officer in charge directly in an instant, read and sign statements and documents from their phone and see updates on the investigation as it develops, without the inconvenience of having to call officers who may be off duty or otherwise occupied, would give victims a far more satisfying experience than they get today.
Building trust and having a feeling of involvement in their own crimes using such an approach, will not only help victims during investigations. Establishing relationships with officers on a personal level will mean both the police and victims can work more closely to reach the desired results. Having the flexibility to carry out investigations through online methods could significantly speed up investigations and bring perpetrators to justice faster.
Using technology in the form of a mobile app could create other opportunities to improve victim experience. It could have significant benefits for those who are hard of hearing, could be used to break language barriers for those whose first language is not English and support people who suffer from mental health issues and find it difficult speaking on the phone or face to face. It would be a simple step to add links to charities and support organisations that can help victims rebuild their lives and bring life back to normal.
How it will be delivered
Person to person
Social media
Word of mouth
You tube channels
