Victim of Crime

If you, a friend or relative are a victim of crime, or if you just want advice on how to lessen your chances of becoming one, these links might help.

General Advice

The Home Office produces a leaflet for victims of crime detailing all the support and options available, a basic introduction to the criminal justice system and some useful contact numbers. An electronic copy can be downloaded from http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/victimsofcrime.pdf.

The Victims Charter, which can be found at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/justice/victims/charter/, also outlines the kind of service that victims of crime should expect to receive.

The Victims Virtual Walkthrough at http://www.cjsonline.gov.uk/juror/ aims to guide any victim of crime through the processes that they will encounter, from the time a crime is reported, through the police investigation, prosecution decision making, court processes, and sentencing.

Reporting Minor Crime

Minor crimes, such as thefts, criminal damage, vandalism and theft from or damage to a motor vehicle, though the police's non-emergency minor crime notification system at http://www.police.uk

However, if the crime is serious, happening now, the offender is still in the area, you know the offender, there are witnesses or evidence has been left, please call the police immediately by dialling '999'.

Reporting Crime Anonymously

If you would like to report a crime anonymously you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or you can visit their website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Domestic Violence

The law is designed to protect people against domestic violence, whether it is physical, emotional, sexual or mental abuse. Government leaflets explaining how to get help for yourself or a friend are available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/domestic-violence/.

Womans' Aid is a charity helping women and their families break out of the destructive cycle of domestic violence. They offer support, counselling and can provide a place in a refuge or safe house if necessary.
Womens Aid have a local refuge for both women with and without children.  They can be contacted on 01472 575757 or you can visit their website at www.womensaidnel.org.
They also have a national helpline on 0808 2000 247 and a website at http://www.womensaid.org.uk/.

Protecting Your Home

The Home Office's 'Be Safe, Be Secure' leaflet, which can be downloaded from http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/hs_safesecure2.html, has useful tips for homeowners.

The Fire Safety website at http://www.firekills.gov.uk/ has essential advice about how to protect your home from fire, plus how to check your smoke alarm.

The Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups at http://www.hanwag.org.uk/ can give advice on home safety.

Protecting Your Car

The BBC website at http://www.bbc.co.uk has useful tips, links and even an interactive game to judge how aware you are of car crime.

The Home Office's 'Secure Your Motor' website is full of good advice on how to outsmart the criminal, keep your car safe, plus interesting statistics and a test to see how at risk your car is. Go to http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/ for more information.

Keeping Safe

The Police999 website at http://www.police999.com has lots of useful links about protecting your home, car and yourself from crime.

Safelinks, which can be found at http://www.safelinks.info/, is a local website dealing with crime issues in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham.

CrimeStoppers is an independent UK-wide charity working to stop crime. They have an anonymous helpline on 0800 555 111 where you can report crime and a useful website at http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/.

Going to Court

If you are required to go to Court, it can be a scary and intimidating experience. The website at http://www.courtservice.gov.uk has useful advice and explanations of court business.

Compensation

If you have been injured as a result of a violent crime, you may be entitled to compensation. More information about the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority can be found on their website at www.cica.gov.uk.

If you suffer injury, loss or damage to property as a result of a road traffic incident involving a motor vehicle and the driver is not insured, compensation for personal injury and damage to property may be available from the Motor Insurers' Bureau. To claim you need to contact the Motor Insurers' Bureau, 152 Silbury Boulevard, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 1NG. Telephone 01908 830001.

Community Legal Service Direct

The Community Legal Services website at http://www.clsdirect.org.uk/index.jsp can help you find a legal representative, get legal aid, and find out more about your rights and the law. They also have a helpline on 0845 345 4 345.

Reporting suspect activity to MI5

MI5 are responsible for national security, and protecting against threats such as terrorism. If you know anything about a threat to our national security, they want to hear from you. Please report any suspicious activity through their information portal at https://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/Page6.html.