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Improve police support for victims of crime with English as an additional language – report

Monday 21 October, 2024

Freedom of Information requests of police forces across the country reveal a patchy approach to supporting victims whose first language is not English. This is despite the fact that the first right in the government’s Victims Code’ is “to be able to understand and to be understood.”


To improve support for all victims, a new report launched on Monday recommends improvements to five key aspects of police conduct. While the report covers an earlier period, its findings and recommendations remain current, following a recent wave of disorder and attacks on migrants and groups who support them.


The report is published by charities Law Centres Network and its member Harrow Law Centre, with support from City law firm A&O Shearman. The charities’ report is part of a project dedicated to understanding and supporting victims of crime with language needs.


The project arose from an increase in local hate crime and Harrow Law Centre’s response to it. The violence was aimed at people who were born abroad—a majority in the London borough—and speak English as an additional language. They have faced difficulties in accessing support, in reporting the crime and in getting follow-on help with its effects.


The Freedom of Information requests have set out to understand how the UK’s police forces understand English as an additional language when working with victims. They have asked who is tasked with assessing a victim’s English proficiency as a key to providing them with support; how, if at all, they are trained for the task; what guidance or tools, if any, they have for making this judgement consistently; how often English support needs lead to using an interpreter; and the quality of interpretation services.


The research project has found that:





The report makes the following recommendations:






Earlier this year, the Victim’s Code was written into law in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, but practical progress has stalled. Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips MP admits that victims’ trust in the criminal justice system has been “broken”. Baroness Newlove, the victims commissioner for England and Wales, has expressed concern that these challenges affect victims’ reporting behaviour. This report’s findings are another reflection of current problems but offer simple and practical steps for improving support, accountability and trust.


Julie Bishop, director of the Law Centres Network, said:


“Police forces are leaving it to individual officers to assess victims’ English language support needs, without consistent training, guidance or monitoring. We are expected simply to take it on trust that this works, without the ability to verify it. Victims—and the rule of law—deserve better; and our report, alongside these findings, also offers a benchmark for improvement.”


ENDS


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For enquiries please contact Matt Cary at Law Centres Network: matt@lawcentres.org.uk or +44 7387 325 615.


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