Commissioned by the local Police and Crime Commissioning Board, 9 organisations within Dudley borough, through 1-2-1 interviews and focus groups, recently undertook a survey with 417 Dudley residents who had been victims of crime. The aim of the research was to seek and represent the views and experiences of victims of crime as of February 2015.

The 9 organisations that took part in the research included:

Chadd – research was carried out with a number of females with evidence predominantly focusing on domestic abuse and its effects.
Phase Trust – research focused on crimes against young people, findings from the research clearly identified that young people experienced a wide range of crime against them.
Centre for Equality & Diversity – research highlighted the experience of victims of hate crime particularly in relation to race.
Summit House Support Ltd – with the support of Wolverhampton University, the focus of the research was on Hate Crime and its effects on the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transsexual and Questioning (LGBTQ) Community.
Dudley Citizens Advice Bureau – a range of individuals from different backgrounds/communities/ages were interviewed with many reporting to be victims of domestic abuse.
Unique Women CIC – all respondents were females from BME communities and were predominantly aged between 25 – 60, with 1 person aged 16-25 and 1 individual aged over 60.
Universal Support Ltd CIC – one-to-one interviews were held with both male and female participants of mixed age and ethnicity.
Age UK – a number of older people were interviewed with the research identifying the different types of crime and the effects on people.
Shell Corner Youth Company – like many of the organisations taking part in the research, victims were of all ages and for many had more than one crime committed against them in a relatively short period of time.

It was clearly evident from the research that alongside the Police, voluntary and community organisations along with family and friends played a significant role in supporting victims of all types of crime.

To continue this important work a Black Country wide network of organisations who deal with victims of crime has been set up. In addition, in conjunction with the Local Police and Crime Commissioning Board, a further consultation event is to take place on Tuesday 9th June 1pm – 4pm. If you are interested in attending please log onto http://bit.ly/1ID5Jm2.

Should you require a full copy of the Listening to Victims of Crime Report for Dudley borough or would like copies of individual pieces of research produced by the 9 organisations that took part, contact Caroline Webb, Senior Development Officer, Dudley CVS e-mail: carolinewebb@dudleycvs.org.uk