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Victim Services Report
Greater Victoria Police Victim Services is the formal name for
the local victim services
branch. This is a non-profit organization that consists of
volunteer workers helping victims of
crime. The Victim Services of Victoria is also represented by
one individual from each of the
seven police agencies in the region.
This particular organization has an interesting history. On
October 24th
, 1983 the
Esquimalt Police Department started a victim services program
run by community services
section Constable Grant Smith of their community section. This
program launch inspired
Constable Doug Homes to organize a department for Victoria. The
main objective for these
departments was to make sure that victims of crime were not
forgotten or mislead in the criminal
justice system and that they were given the support they
deserve. In 1984 , the first meeting of
the Victoria victim services was held, followed by an
announcement that they were registered as
a non-profit organization with the province on December 7, 1984.
In the year 1990, the Ministry
of Public Safety and the Solicitor General gave the Greater
Victoria Police Victim Services a
contract that provided the with matching funds from the Capital
Regional District. In 2001, the
name of the organization was formally changed to Greater
Victoria Police Victim Services. In
2004, the CBF Esquimalt military police joined the GVPVS Board
of Directors, which consisted
of seven community-at-large members and one representative from
each of the seven police
agencies in the region.
The major goal of the Greater Victoria Police Victim Services is
to make sure the victims
achieve a state of well-being after being involved in a
traumatic incident. They work with the
police to help people impacted by crime and trauma. Some of the
major services offered by the
GVPVS include: grief counseling following sudden death,
assistance and support to witnesses in
providing effective evidence, support to witnesses in providing
evidence, help with victim
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impact statements, and help with the costs for the statement.
Police will refer people to the
GVPVS in cases of sudden death. They also provide help for
victims of crime such as dealing
with the aftermath of a serious crime and the rights you have as
a victim. There are certain cases
that are common to Victoria Victim Services. Ninety percent of
cases are referrals from the
police. The police then require peoples consent to release their
information to the GVPVS.
Crimes such as domestic violence, property crimes and regular
assault are the most common
crimes bought to the attention of this organization. Victims
often feel like no one is helping them
in certain situation; they can
even feel like the Criminal Justice System is making a situation
worse, resulting in re-
victimization. That is where the victim services come into play;
to help in tough situations where
people may not know who to turn to for assistance.
Victim services also relates to other parts of the Justice
System. They assist police by
providing a service to help victims that have been traumatized
by a crime. It gives police
somewhere to send these people for help. They provide the
victims and witnesses with
information about the court system and the justice system in
order to ensure they are not re-
victimized during the long, confusing process.
Greater Victoria Police Victim Services is well-staffed with
three full-time staff, four
part-time staff and one part-time court support worker. There
are no specific qualifications for
workers or volunteers, but the volunteers do have to complete
seventy hours of classroom
training. After the training stage is complete the volunteers
are paired with experienced
volunteers for three months before being permitted to work
independently. There is no
opportunity for advancement in this organization but it is still
a good stepping stone to gain other
desired employment. Working with the victim services
organization has its positives and
negatives. One of the bright sports is that it allows front line
experience with victims which
can be a life changing experience for people. Also, it allos an
opportunity for training and creates
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community partnerships by linking people to programs. The
challenges of working with this
organization is that it creates the possibility of people
suffering vicarious trauma from what
they experience. Finding people appropriate and affordable help
is not always possible. This
creates letdowns in victims which is frustrating for both the
victim and the worker.
For 2012, the GVPVS has set out a strategic plan that will apply
through to 2014. It will
help with accountability and will make sure the organization is
meeting realistic goals and
objectives. The Board will annually review their progress to
make sure that everything is being
followed. It includes asking volunteers and stakeholders to
scrutinize weaknesses and strengths
and to pinpoint areas where modifications are needed.
The GVPVS is an excellent program that helps to improve one
aspect of the justice
system which is viewed by some as being weak. With this program
up and running effectively,
the victims of Victoria and other regions can get the help and
support they need to work through
the traumatization of being a victim of crime. Involvement in
crime from a victims perspective
can permanently destroy an individuals life if support is not
provided. Therefore, victim services
programs can help take pressure from other parts of the justice
system by providing help for
victims who need it. Also, this could help enhance the view of
the public towards the justice
system because the aspect of helping victims and not just
providing rights for the offender is
being addressed. The GVPVS is an excellent program for people in
the Victoria area, and a
positive step would be to expand this concept to provide similar
services for victims elsewhere.
