Calls for a "Victims' Commissioner" in fight against crime

Scottish Labour has demanded the establishment of an dedicated commissioner to champion the rights of victims of crime.

Accordingly, the Consultation of the Victims’ Commissioner (Scotland) Bill is to be launched by the party within the next fortnight.

David Stewart, the Labour Party’s chief whip and advocate of the bill said, “I hope the Victims’ Commissioner will have the ability to investigate, challenge and raise awareness of issues affecting victims of crime."

Calls to establish a dedicated Victims’ Commissioner have been led by Victim Support Scotland as outlined in their Manifesto for Change, 2007-2011. The proposal has also garnered support from leading charities such as Rape Crisis Scotland.

Susan Gallagher, director of development for the charity, told the BBC: “As the leading voluntary organisation in Scotland dealing with victim issues we have long identified this need to build on the significant developments that have already taken place.

“We believe that such a post would help advance the rights of victims and witnesses of crime in Scotland”.

Sandy Brindley of Rape Crisis Scotland added: “Any commissioner for victims should be given appropriate responsibilities and powers to allow them to represent victims of crime effectively and to act as a point of contact to address concerns over the kind of issues that impact on survivors of rape.

“Survivors of rape often feel there is an imbalance in the criminal justice system."

Campaigners identified the profits criminals can make from their illicit past through memoirs and media exposure as further evidence of imbalance in the Scottish criminal justice system.

Such action has provoked anger from crime victims. Margaret Wilson has led a strong campaign against the notion that "crime pays" after her daughter’s murderer profited from his crime by selling his story to the press.

Campaigners say establishment of a Victims’ Commissioner would go some way in helping to redress the imbalance and disappointment with victim support in the current justice system.

Labour wants the complementary commissioner for victims to have authority similar to that of the Prison complaints commissioner.

Mr Stewart said: “There's a Prison Complaints Commissioner. It's time that victims of crime had their own champion.

“We've already seen developments in Northern Ireland with four Victims' Commissioners; in the Republic of Ireland, there are developments towards creation of a Victims' Commissioner and, in Westminster, they are motoring along with the creation of a stand-alone Victims' Commissioner."

The demand for victim support is high, with victim services in Edinburgh alone providing help to more than 40,000 victims and witnesses, totalling 93,083 across Scotland, according to Victim Support Scotland's annual report for 2007-2008.

Students are the group most vulnerable to crime in comparison with the rest of the population, according to The Independent. This is due to students’ possession of a greater number of high-value consumer goods such as mobile phones, laptops and mp3 players.

Around one in three students falls victim to crime, most commonly burglary, with six out of ten crimes being a repeat experience for the victims.

The Victims’ Commissioner Bill has come in for criticism from some groups attacking the redirection of funds for the creation of position considered unnecessary, particularly given the presence of other experienced victim support services such as Victim Support Scotland.

Furthermore, a study conducted by the University of Edinburgh offers caution to programmes that aim to support victims of crime.

The study, Youth Transitions and Crime argues that victim support organisations need to be reconsidered in light of the revelation that victims and offenders of crimes can often be the same people.

Despite these concerns, Mr Stewart has expressed hope in gaining support for the bill from parliament in 2009 despite rejection by government last year.

Speaking about the legislation, a government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is committed to putting victims at the heart of the criminal justice system and is currently reviewing the Scottish Strategy for Victims which is now eight years old.

"We will consider ways to ensure victims’ rights are safeguarded."