Supporting Victims

It is one of the Commissioner’s priorities to put victims at the heart of everything he does and this includes funding support services which help victims of crime cope and recover from their ordeal.

Who is a victim?

In Cheshire, we use a broad definition of who a victim is.

This definition covers:

‘a person who has suffered harm, including physical, mental or emotional harm or economic loss which was directly caused by criminal conduct’ and;

‘a close relative (spouse, partner, relatives in direct line, siblings or dependents) of a person whose death was directly caused by criminal conduct’.

What services are available?

It is recognised that not everyone reports crime, and some people are victims of incidents that are classed as ‘non-crime’ (such as anti-social behaviour). These victims may still need support to cope and recover, so support is offered, regardless of whether they have reported the matter to the police.

Police & Crime Commissioners are responsible for commissioning local support services for victims of crime and receive an annual grant from the Ministry of Justice to ensure victims’ services in their area are properly funded. In Cheshire this grant is used to support Cheshire CARES, the flagship service which offers support to every single victim of crime in Cheshire, and also more bespoke services which support victims of specific crimes.

The Commissioner works with partner agencies and voluntary sector organisations to get the best services in place to ensure victims get the care and support they need to help them.

A full list of victim service funding can be found on the Victim Grants page. To find out more about the valuable projects commissioned to support victims in Cheshire then you can read the Commissioner's latest Annual Report.

For information on victim services around the country and national services, please see the National Victims’ Information Service website or contact the freephone helpline number 0808 168 9293.