Plymouth shooting: Devon and Cornwall Victim Support says services "continue to be available"
Heather Welch reflects one year on from the Keyham shooting
Last updated 9th Aug 2022
Devon and Cornwall's Victim Support have said they will always be there to support people, nearly one year on from the tragic Keyham shooting.
Heather Welch, area manager for the Victim Support group, says it is important that their services "continue to be available" to anybody affected in the last year.
She told us: "Having someone to speak to who is independent from the police in a confidential space and who is removed from someone's immediate circle is something that people tell us they really, really value.
"Our services continue to be available to anybody affected by crime in Devon, Cornwall over the last year. That includes our national homicide service and our local multi crime service and people continue to come to us who haven't had any support up to this point."
The services have helped people to feel safer through issuing free hand held personal alarms and at times dummy CCTV cameras.
They have also worked in partnership with other organisations around Plymouth to support people who have been affected including: Young Devon, The Zone and Jeremiah's Journey, who work with under-18s.
WATCH: Heather Welch from Victim Support reflects one year on from the tragedy in Keyham
Heather continued: "Some people's lives were devastated by what happened. People that were closest to those that lost their lives and there's a ripple effect that comes out from a crime, like throwing a huge boulder into a pond, and the ripples can go far and wide.
"Our role really is to be to meet people where they're at and to listen and help them to process what's happened to them as best they can."
Victim Support also has a multi crime service which helps people to make sense of how crime has made them feel and think and act, through working with dedicated caseworkers. It allows people to build coping strategies to really help to make sense of how they're feeling.
Heather added: "We want to show people that we're still here, we are still open for support.
"Different people have different needs at different times. Not everybody wants to access support and it's important to say that if that isn't what someone wants to do, there are different ways to find support.
"I know there was a feeling last year that maybe agencies were going to be there after the after it happened and then just vanish. I said then and also want to repeat now that we are alert. We are a national organisation but we are a local team. We're here for the people of Devon and Cornwall and Plymouth, whatever happens and we're not going anywhere".
In the tragic shooting last year, Plymouth lost five people and saw two others injured on August 12, 2021.
To get support you can visit their website or call the Devon and Cornwall Victim Support on 0300 303 0554.