As Police and Crime Commissioner, one of my responsibilities is to provide services that help residents of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to recover from crime.

This financial year, I will spend £6 million supporting victims of crime either directly from my office or through my delivery partner, Victim Support.

In 2022-23, more than 104,000 crimes were reported to Devon & Cornwall Police, and almost 30,000 victims were referred to support services in Devon and Cornwall.

These numbers are significant, and the true number of victims is likely much higher, considering those who have not yet accessed support or feel unable to.

High-quality, specialist support is available to victims of any crime, through Devon & Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit if you’ve reported to police, or through Victim Support, who can help you whether or not you have reported a crime.

It’s important you know that even if you are not ready to speak to the police, free, confidential help is available at any time.

I take the funding of victim services extremely seriously and am passionate about providing high-quality support to help keep residents safe and therefore strengthen communities.

My deputy Commissioner, Mark Kingscote, and I were delighted last week to visit two of the organisations which are doing incredible work helping victims recover.

On Monday, Mark met with the team at Devon Rape Crisis, one of several services I fund which provide adult therapeutic services for people affected by sexual violence and abuse.

It was really inspiring to hear about how members of staff help survivors recover through a phased approach, from establishing a safe environment and trusting environment to developing coping techniques, processing trauma, rebuilding connections and resilience, and promoting growth.

It’s difficult and complex work done with empathy, and I found the use of creative outlets to process trauma particularly interesting.

I would like to thank the staff who are working so hard to help those affected by such awful crimes rebuild and reclaim their lives.

I can reassure anyone unsure about taking the first step in asking for help that incredible support is in place to begin your recovery when you are ready.

Devon Rape Crisis is currently working on its three-year strategy and wants to hear from people who have used its services, survivors in the community and its partners.

You can take part by completing the survey at https://devonrapecrisis.org.uk/service-engagement-survey/

On Thursday, Mark and I travelled to Plymouth to join Victim Support for their 50th anniversary celebrations.

This organisation provides our adult multi-crime and antisocial behaviour services, and I was delighted to meet hard-working members of staff and volunteers providing support, as well as some service users who have benefitted from help in both areas.

The adult multi-crime case workers help clients who have been affected by all types of crime, from domestic abuse and sexual violence, fraud, harassment, stalking and burglary, hate crime and much more, while the antisocial behaviour (ASB) team deal specialist in that area, although it's often the case that other crimes have been committed in addition to the ASB.

Caseworkers help people by providing information about the support available and their rights, creating a safety plan, and advocating on their behalf with services.

Support is available not just straight after a crime but also afterwards, including helping with the effect on the family and supporting the victim through the criminal justice system.

The worker said often the most important thing was just being there for the victim, so they feel heard and validated.

One woman I spoke with said the service she has received from Victim Support following a sustained period of antisocial behaviour and harassment was invaluable and said just being believed and being listened to made an enormous difference in her ability to cope and move on.

My thanks again go to the amazing staff and volunteers who are making such a difference in people’s lives.

The impact of crime on an individual must never be underestimated, and everyone must have access to the help they need.

In the coming weeks, I will be visiting more of the services funded by the PCC and I look forward to sharing some of the stories in this column.