A Westminster Hall debate on Rights of victims of crime is scheduled for Tuesday 13 March 2018 at 2.30pm. The Member leading the debate is Alex Sobel MP.
Rights of victims of crime (231 KB , PDF)
Currently victims’ rights are set out in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. This sets out what victims should expect from various criminal justice agencies.
Although the Code is a statutory one, provided for in the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004, failure to comply with it does not of itself make a person liable to criminal or civil proceedings. Courts can take such failure into account in other proceedings however. Some argue that the “rights” in the code are not sufficiently enforceable. The Victims Commissioner and Victim Support have pointed to problems with victims being given their rights under the Code.
In the run up to the 2015 and the 2017 General Elections, various political parties including the Conservatives promised legislation on victims’ rights.
The Government has said it will publish a strategy for victims “by the summer”.
Rights of victims of crime (231 KB , PDF)
This briefing looks at statistics on gun crime in England and Wales. It uses police recorded crime data to evaluate trends over time and to compare crime between police force areas, with a section focusing specifically on gun crime in London. Type of offence and type of weapon used are also analysed, as well as age and ethnicity of victims.
This Commons Library briefing paper discusses police stop and search powers. It outlines a recent history of their reform and available evidence on their effectiveness at reducing and detecting crime.
This Commons Library briefing paper discusses police powers to conduct "strip searches". It outlines the procedures for conducting strip searches; the available evidence on the use of strip searches; and recent debate about the impact they can have.
