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Victim Support: Could you be there in a crime victim’s hour of need?
Tessa Morrison, from Werrington, who is a volunteer with Victim Support
VICTIM Support is looking for new volunteers across Peterborough to help those who have been victims of crime. Deputy features editor John Baker spoke to the deputy community manager for Cambridgeshire, and three Peterborough volunteers.
CRIME victims often want to shrivel into their shell.
They may be devastated or ashamed. They may have no family or friends. They may not even have reported the crime.
Others end up in court, either as a victim or a witness. They’ve never been there before and don’t know what to expect, a feeling of trepidation which manifests itself in sleepless nights and panic.
These are the people Victim Support can help emotionally or practically, or through passing on experience and knowledge.
Deputy Community Manager for Cambridgeshire Barry Pridmore said the charity is looking for volunteers in the Peterborough area.
Their role is to contact any victim and explore ways to help them recover and move on, providing information and practical help.
Barry said: “Once they have applied we have an initial interview stage for people who want to be volunteers to see if they are suitable and what experience they have.
“The five days of core training will cover everything from the impact of crime to the support that is out there.
“So the job is not counselling although it does use counselling skills, as well as offering practical help, such as filling out compensation and insurance forms.
“We are looking for younger volunteers of any age. In Peterborough our youngest one is 18 while our oldest has been with us for 25 years.”
After the training volunteers can move to training for more specialist roles, like dealing with people who have suffered bereavements or sexual abuse.
They might also choose to be a witness service volunteer, who help witnesses, family and friends deal with the experience of attending court and giving evidence.
Barry said: “They will be given information about the court, and told what’s going to happen.
“On the day we will liaise with the CPS and make sure they are comfortable throughout the day, and go to the support waiting room. “It’s a varied role which can be very difficult.”
Once the victims call the national number they will be contacted by someone from their local area by telephone.
After that it fits in with the victim through conversations by telephone or a venue of the victim’s choice.
Some victims are referred by police, others refer themselves.
Barry said: “You don’t have to have been through the police system.
“Some people are scared to call them, such as those who are victims of domestic abuse, and we wouldn’t force you to.
“We will work through it with you, there is no time limit.
“If you have been a victim 20 years ago we will still help – we get quite a few historical cases where people just want to offload something that has stayed with them.”
Factfile: victim support
- SET up 35 years ago, victim support is the oldest and largest national charity for victims of crime across England and Wales. It has more than 7,000 specially trained court and community volunteers nationwide.
- Victim support gives free and confidential support and information to more than 1.5 million victims every year.
- There are currently 40 volunteers in Cambridgeshire, 11 of whom are based in Peterborough.
- The Cambridgeshire branch of victim support is based in Huntingdon.
- Fifteen new recruits are needed across the city, with the aim of commencing training in March following successful interviews, CRB checks and references.
- For more information and an application form go to www.victimsupport.org
- There is also a website for younger people who may have suffered abuse at www.are-you-ok.org.uk
- For anyone who needs the help of Victim Support telephone 0845 456 5995.
Volunteer stories
TESSA Morrison’s application to work at the police was boosted by her voluntary work with Victim Support.
At the tender age of 19 some would question whether she has the life experience to help people who have been victims of crime.
The answer is yes, as Tessa’s family have been victims of various crimes themselves, when their house was targeted by thieves.
They were shaken and upset, and also unaware that the Victim Support service existed; in retrospect they say it could have helped them cope.
So when Tessa heard that there was a way of aiding those who experience similar heartache, she decided to take the plunge.
She said: “I had wanted to do volunteering for ages.
“I did my research and then applied online, but I was still quite young - I had just turned 18 - and I thought that they might look at me and think: ‘She’s not going to be bothered about this.’
“They got back to me and I got an interview, which was quite hard and I thought I hadn’t got it, but then they got back to me and I found out I was successful.”
Tessa started full time work for the police taking calls in December, and feels that her work with three different sets of families benefited her chances.
She said: “The first person had been burgled.
“Another one had been in an accident when someone had hit her in a stolen car. When I got in touch with her she wasn’t really upset, more worried about practical issues.
“She was meant to be going on holiday and I spoke to her doctor about travel.
“The one I am dealing with at the moment is a Christmas burglary.
“People might think ‘oh, she’s only had her bike stolen’, but it’s amazing the effect it can have on you. Having been a victim I can relate to them and understand their feelings, and I really enjoy helping.
“The main thing is that I never assume how people are going to feel before I ring them up. Everyone reacts to crime differently.”
PHILLIP Whalley (69) will have been volunteering for five years in March.
He said: ““When I was due to retire I was wondering what I was going to do to stop myself going to seed.
“So I went to the volunteer centre on Lincoln Road, and I found out about this community service which supports victims after crime.
“I wasn’t new to volunteering – I had done 22 years for Cambridgeshire Special Constabulary - so I had a good grounding in how the law works and had seen victims first hand.
“I thought it would be an ideal role for me.”
Phillip, who lives in Orton Malborne, is also a part of the witness service, which gives information to witnesses, friends and family before, during and after trials.
He estimates that 99 per cent of those who attend court as a witness have never been inside a court in their lives.
“It’s just a matter of reassuring them that it’s not quite like you see on television, but also that there are elements of cross-examination by the defence lawyer which may be quite aggressive,” he said.
“I always say: ‘don’t take it personally, they are only doing their job,’ because many witnesses end up feeling like they have been on trial.”
Like Tessa, Phillip says there is no stereotypical victim of crime.
He said: “People are appreciative of what you have done for them and we get lots of different reactions.
“I have known people who have been absolutely devastated by their burglaries and can’t believe it. Then there are others where they are surprised it hasn’t happened before and are quite philosophical.”
“We are doing something for people in various states of distress and it is very rewarding that we can help them.”
MARIELYN Hollowell (71) wanted to do something interesting and useful to society.
She started in the service “many years ago” but found it difficult to keep up because of time management.
But she returned six years ago and has taken further training so she can aid those who have suffered domestic violence, or who have lost family and friends through murder.
It’s a tough, but rewarding role.
“I have seen some distraught people, and sometimes the process can go on for months,” Marielyn said from her home in Orton Waterville.
“But sometimes it can just be a single call for a lesser crime. It might not have affected the person in the same way (as a larger crime), but they just need to know someone is there.
“I have just finished speaking to one case after eight months of communication, but the longest was two years. I speak to people about two or three times a week.
“I would like to think I have good communication skills. You never know when you are given a new case whether you will bond with that person or not, and that’s when the training and your own character comes into play.
“I know it sounds strange when dealing with distress, but you have got to enjoy it to do it.”
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