Minister publishes fourth Annual Report of the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform today published the fourth Annual Report of the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime. The Commission has been disbursing funds to organisations engaged in supporting victims of crime since 2005.

56 applications for funding for 2008 were received after a public advertisement and these were examined in detail by the Commission. €1,057,148 was distributed to 45 groups providing front-line services to victims of crime in 2008.

The Commission presented to the Minister its Framework Document: Recommendations for Future Structures and Services for Victims of Crime, in April, 2008. The Minister accepted in full the recommendations in the Framework Document and incorporated them into his own Justice for Victims Initiative.  Under that Initiative he set up the Victims of Crime Office, re-constituted the Commission, which went on to establish a Consultative Forum to engage with the non-governmental organisations supporting the victims of crime.

The Commission continued to meet with the criminal justice agencies and voluntary groups working with victims of crime, in order to improve cooperation and understanding between the voluntary sector groups and the criminal justice agencies, and to improve cooperation between the voluntary sector groups themselves.

The Commission supports and promotes the National Crime Victims Helpline (1850-211-407) as a central point of contact for all victims of crime.

The Annual Report is available on the Department’s website www.justice.ie 

16 April 2009

Note to Editors

The Commission members are:

o Mr. Ray McAndrew, Chairman (former Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Síochána)
o Mr. Sean Lowry (former Head of the Probation Service)
o Ms Nora Owen  ( former Minister for Justice)
o Mr. Michael Whelan (Gemini Consulting)
o Mr. P.J Fitzpatrick ( former Chief Executive of the Courts Service, appointed January, 2009)
o Mr Greg Heylin, (Director of the Victims of Crime Office), ex officio