Victims of crime in the north have been urged to respond to the second annual survey aimed at helping to improve the north’s criminal justice system.
The Victim Survey has been launched by the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime and is designed to inform recommendations for improvements based on evidence provided by those who have been impacted by criminals.
The survey was launched in September, and there has been a call for victims to respond before its closing date on December 23.
The results will be published next year.
The 2023/24 survey results were published in September, and were a “wake-up call” for the system, according to the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime, Geraldine Hanna, as 60 per cent of respondents said they believe police did not properly investigate offences against them.
The survey also found that just 7% felt “fairly confident” the justice system could deliver for them, while none said they were very confident of that outcome.
Following its publication, Ms Hanna said the results were “nothing short of an SOS from victims of crime”.
Now there are just two weeks left for victims to respond to this year’s survey, which is open to all victims, who will not be identified.
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Ms Hanna said: “Results from last year’s survey have helped to inform the work priorities for my office and quantify the scale of the issues faced by victims of crime so we can better make the need for the system to change to political leaders and leaders of the Criminal Justice System.
“I’m encouraging as many people as possible to come forward and complete this survey because I want everyone to have the opportunity to tell those in positions of power what’s important to them.
“I would like to hear from anyone who has been a victim of crime or reported a crime to the police from 2019 onwards. We often hear the individual experiences of victims of crime in the media which helps to highlight problems with the system.
“Most importantly this is an opportunity for those who have experienced the criminal justice system as a victim of crime to use their voice to make the system better, for everyone.”
It can be answered on Stormont’s online consultation portal, while those wishing to answer through a different format, or who need help in responding, can email haveyoursay@cvocni.org or call 028 9052 6607.
