§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the residents of Crosby have benefited from the national strategy to improve services for witnesses and victims of crime. [177949]
§ Paul GogginsCriminal Justice Boards have been established in each of the 42 criminal justice areas in England and Wales and their work includes delivering the Government's Public Service Agreement targets to bring more offences to justice, improve public confidence in the Criminal Justice system and increase victim and witness satisfaction.
Every Criminal Justice Board has produced a plan to improve services to victims and witnesses.
As part of the No Witness, No Justice programme, Witness Care Units are being established in every criminal justice area to provide a single point of contact for victims and witnesses. The provisional dates for rollout in Merseyside are between 1 April and 1 October 2005.
In February 2004, the first pilot to help vulnerable witnesses of crime with communication difficulties to give evidence was launched in Merseyside.
The Home Office is funding three pilots to test out the best approach to supporting victims of road traffic incidents. Aftermath Support, in Merseyside is one of these schemes and is provided by local partners.