Ringing the changes to help crime victims

VICTIMS of crime could soon be receiving follow-up phone calls to see how police officers handled the situation. The 'cold-calling' scheme will soon be starting in Cheddar and could become a district-wide initiative. People who have fallen victim to crime and have been helped by a police officer will be selected at random to receive a call from the head of the police station to see how their case was dealt with. Sergeant Peter Yensen, of Cheddar police, said: "The victim will not know we will be calling and neither will the officer involved. We will ask them how their case was handled and whether the officers were helpful and sympathetic. We will also ask if there was anything the victim thought the officer could have done differently to make the whole process easier."We sometimes get letters telling us if a victim is upset at how a case was handled but it is rare that we get thanks. "The problem is, we are told what we are doing wrong, but not what we are doing right. Hopefully this new scheme will help us understand what issues need addressing and whether we need to change our approach and what works. "Becoming a victim of crime is obviously very stressful and anything we can do to help the people involved will be welcomed."The scheme has been started under the Victim's Charter which sets out standards of service victims can expect to receive. It was reviewed in February this year by the Home Office to include the new initiative.