Need for Victim Support identified nationally in 1996.
Put in place through National Crime Prevention Strategy with help from Business Against Crime (BAC) it was felt that:
- the absence of aid and empowerment plays an important role in the cyclical nature of crime and violence
- victims are often re-victimized by ignorant and insensitive service providers in the criminal justice system.
Since that the Police are often the first to come into contact with victims of crime and violence, their interaction with victims is therefore crucial and can affect the way victims cope with re-victimization and how they recover.
Victim Support/Victim Empowerment Units (VSU) were to be established nationally at all Police Stations. The emphasis was placed on the need for these units to be community based and to work through the established Community Policing Forums (CPFs) and local Station Commissioners.
Thus each unit would work according to the mandate prescribed in the National Crime Prevention Strategy and BAC, but would work within the confines and peculiarities of its local station, CPF and community.
History