News

The government has announced a pilot by HM Courts & Tribunals Service to test the use of artificial intelligence to produce court transcripts.

Victims and bereaved families will be given significantly more time to challenge sentences they believe do not reflect the seriousness of the crime, following long‑awaited reforms to the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme announced on Thursday 9 April by the Government.

Have you been a victim of crime in the past five years? Whether you reported the crime to the police or chose not to, the Victims’ Commissioner would like to hear from you.

The Victims’ Commissioner has welcomed the publication of the Terms of Reference for the Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, describing it as "an important step towards confronting the profound institutional failures” that left children exposed to widespread abuse."

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, has responded to the national policing position on the use of self‑swabbing kits in cases of rape and serious sexual assault. The new policing statement sets out concerns about the safety, evidential reliability and lack of safeguarding associated with self‑swabbing kits used outside regulated environments. 

Susannah Hancock will take up post as Chief Executive Officer at the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner on 26 March 2026.

Peers returned to the Victims and Courts Bill this week for Report Stage, where several amendments backed by the Victims’ Commissioner were debated - and, crucially, some significant changes were agreed.

Claire Waxman has welcomed the launch of a national Independent Legal Advisor service and the expansion of Operation Soteria, calling them "crucial" steps in protecting rape victims.

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE, has welcomed the Government’s announcement of record funding for the courts system, but warned that “unlimited sitting days” must be met with wider structural reform to end the “intolerable” delays facing victims.

The Victims’ Commissioner is pushing for crucial changes to key victim legislation.