Police improving service to victims with launch of dedicated phone line

Northamptonshire Police has launched a dedicated phone line and email for victims of serious and complex crime. This new service is designed to make it easier for victims to contact detectives and receive updates on their case.

This new Victim Service Line has been introduced as a three month pilot within CID.

Victims will be given a phone number and email address in addition to the contact details of the Officer in Charge (OIC) of their case. The OIC should always be the first port of call for the victim, but if they are unable to get hold of the OIC then this new service will enable victims to call directly into the department and talk to a member of the CID team.

Detective Sergeant Jennifer Holland said: “We recognise that victims are not always able to contact officers as easily as we’d want. The latest Victim Satisfaction survey also bears this out, indicating that only 52% of victims are satisfied with how they were being kept informed. We want to improve this. We hope that by having this dedicated line and email address it will improve people’s experience and ensure that victims of complex crime can speak to someone regarding their case more easily, improving our accessibility. They can also pass on information quickly, which can be more easily risk assessed and actioned if deemed urgent.

“Our officers and staff care very much about victims of crime and we hope that by having this dedicated Victim Service Line it may make a victim’s journey through the criminal justice system just a little bit smoother.  

“During the next three months we will assess how effective the service is, with the potential to extend this to other departments if there is a demand.”

This new line will be staffed Mon-Thurs 0800-1800 and Fri-Sun 0800-1600.