Victims of crime are being let down by a justice system pressed by competing demands, high workloads, bad communication and inexperience, wedded to a “box-ticking mentality”, a major report has said.
The study’s findings are “depressingly familiar”, one of the authors said.
A joint investigation by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation) looked into whether the police, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Probation Service understand what victims need, if they meet those needs and if they provide a good service.
Many officers and staff complained of being asked to do too much and getting taken away from their main duties, the report said, something compounded by “a high number of inexperienced police officers and a lack of supervision”.
Police officers “told us of their frustration at not being able to provide a good service to crime victims because of these demands”, the report said.
While the authors noted examples of good communication, the police and the CPS often failed to meet the minimum standard in keeping both victims and each other informed.
The efforts of all three bodies to stay in touch would be helped by “joined-up digital systems”, allowing “better information-sharing across the criminal justice system”.
Under current rules, the report noted, the three bodies’ performance is measured on whether they comply with the Victims’ Code.
It gives victims the right to be given information about the investigation and prosecution, but “cannot be measured easily”, and can become a mere “box-ticking” exercise with no evidence of the quality of the engagement with the victim or whether it met the individual victim’s needs.
Improving victims’ experience of the criminal justice system is “vital”, the report said, adding that the Victims and Prisoners Bill aims to do just that.
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Clear performance frameworks would help the bodies improve how they assess the quality of their work with victims.
These should include assessments of the quality of services and victim satisfaction, which are evidence based and properly tested.
The inspectorates also heard about some positive practice, including victims’ hubs that provide tailored support to victims, and online portals to access information about cases.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said the findings are “depressingly familiar – once again victims are too often not getting the service they are entitled to”.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service, Andrew Cayley KC CMG, called the current situation “unacceptable”, as “victims of crime deserve a better service”.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation, Sue McAllister said those allocated a victim liaison officer “benefited from having one person working with them to keep them informed… to have their voice heard after the offender has been sentenced”.