The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) is continuing its commitment to invest in victim's services after plans to implement necessary improvements are confirmed.

This investment directly delivers the priority 4 in Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson’s new #MakingWiltshireSafer Police and Crime Plan, Improving the Experience of Victims and Delivering Justice.

A total of £2.65M which is made up of £1.45M from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and £1.2m from PCC’s commissioning budget will be spent on overseeing and managing commissioned victim’s services.

These figures reflect a 4.2% reduction in the MOJ victims grant received compared to the previous year.  From this, continued support for frontline services has been prioritised and all community services have been maintained.

Works to improve the Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Swindon will also start this financial year to improve the quality of the service for victims.  This will include the installation of new equipment and enhancements for the environment. Several processes and procedures will also be streamlined to enable a smoother process for victims.

Mr Wilkinson said: “Supporting victims in the time when they are most vulnerable and need help is a core priority for my office and is contained within my new police and crime plan.

“We know we cannot eradicate crime completely so we must ensure the services we are funding are delivering for victims when they need it most, regardless of whether they’ve chosen to report a crime to the police. We will continue to drive delivery of the identified improvements to services to the required timescales to ensure victims are still able to be supported effectively.” 

Published Tuesday 8 April 2025