Victims’ Commissioner responds to HMICFRS police effectiveness report

A new HMICFRS report published today reveals that police efforts are hampered by ineffective processes, including insufficient communication and support to victims as well as compliance with the Victims’ Code.

The Victims’ Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, said:

This report confirms what victims have long told me: too often, the information and support they need are replaced by a box-ticking exercise—undermining outcomes for victims and eroding public trust in policing.

I welcome the Chief Inspector’s calls for improved processes to ensure forces meet their obligations to victims under the Victims’ Code. Time and again research shows victims care deeply about how they are treated. For many, how the system treats them often matters just as much as securing a conviction, and this can profoundly influence their willingness to engage with the system long-term. This is especially important now, as victims face longer waits for justice amid a record Crown Court backlog, while vital support services are forced to ration help or turn people away due to funding cuts.

Outcomes for victims are not good enough—and this must change. Complying with the Victims’ Code must go beyond simple box-ticking: it’s about understanding what victims need, making sure their rights are delivered, and supporting them through the whole criminal justice process.

As this report makes clear, improving services for victims leads to better outcomes, frees up officer time, and strengthens public trust in policing—benefiting both victims, frontline officers and wider society. The incentives for change are clear—and the cost of inaction is too high to ignore.

ENDS

• Find out more and access the full report here.