Met Commissioner promises better service for victims of crime

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley pledged the voice of victims will be at the heart of everything the Met does today as he unveiled a dedicated phone helpline.

The new service will make it easier for victims of crime to access key information about their cases and is funded by a £3 million annual investment from City Hall.

Sir Mark, said: “Our officers and staff often interact with people during the most traumatic moments of their lives.

"They do a great job in the vast majority of cases but the stretch on their time and the nature of our work sometimes means our follow up and co-ordination with specialist victim support is not good enough.

"That is why we are harnessing new technology and creating a dedicated team to boost our service.

“I know my entire service wants to put the victim's voice at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to listening to victims' experiences and using this feedback to implement the practical measures that will make a real difference for victims.”

Sir Mark spoke at the Victims' Summit today, Friday, 10 March, about the Met’s renewed focus on victim support and care.

"We must consistently provide victims with a compassionate and effective service"

In conversation with Victoria Derbyshire, he spoke about how it is vital we work with partners to reform the criminal justice system in order to see meaningful change.

"We must consistently provide victims with a compassionate and effective service – this is one of the nine top priorities in my draft Turnaround Plan," Sir Mark added.

“Every victim should be able to expect a prompt and appropriate response to their call for assistance and I have already committed that police officers will attend every house burglary that is reported.

“We are already investing in areas where we are falling short. We know that capacity in our call handling teams has not matched demand and this impacts the level of service we can provide. As a result we have ring-fenced £2.5 million to reform our command and control function."

Commander Nick John, who leads on criminal justice at the Met, said: “The investment from City Hall allows us to strengthen our commitment to ensuring that the right support is in place for victims at every stage, from their first call to police to giving evidence at court.

“As well as the enhanced Met helpline, which will give victims the timely updates we know they need, we will make sure more support is available online.

"Victims of crime will be handed a QR code which allows them to access an online version of the victim information leaflet – this clearly sets out the phases of the criminal justice system and the support agencies available to them.

“The Commissioner has been clear that victims are central to everything we do.

"The way we shape our service must be led by their feedback. That is why we will run more victim focus groups and independent advisory groups in order to learn directly from their experiences.”

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